LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 DAVIS 
 
A FORTUNE HUNTER : 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE OLD STONE CORRAL. 
 
 <iale of tl^e gaoha Fe Seail. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN DUNLOE CARTERET. 
 
 CINCINNATI : 
 PRINTED KOR THE AUTHOR. 
 
 1888. 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 DAVIS 
 
COPYRIGHTED, 1886. 
 
CONTKNTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Nature's Blank Page The Old Stone Corral The Lost 
 Treasure of Monteluma Camp-fires The Warlow and More- 
 land Families The Camp on the Cottonwood A Tale of the 
 Camp-fire, PAGE 7 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Colonel Warlow 's Story Bruce Walraven The Heiress 
 of Monteluma The Vale of Mexico Bandits The Res 
 cue The Web of Destiny, PAGE 19 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Breakfast on the Plains Colonel Warlow's Story Con 
 tinued Bruce Walraven's Creed Blood-drenched Malvern 
 Hill The Dim Crest of Orizaba Roses and Thorns The 
 Wealth of Monteluma A Cask of Gold The Casket of 
 Gems The Overland Journey A Dark Tragedy, . PAGE 29 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Colonel Warlow's Story Continued Los Angeles A 
 Friend in Need A Storm on the Pacific Shipwreck Under 
 the Waves, PAGE 48 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Colonel Warlow's Story Continued Alone The Cast 
 away The Golden Gate to Home Sweet Home Acapulco 
 Roger The Isthmus of Panama, PAGE 57 
 
4 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Colonel Warlow's Story Continued The Tropical Groves 
 of Cuba The Coffee Plantation A Blooming Christmas 
 The Tomb of Columbus The Roses and Passion-flowers of 
 Cuba The Warm Hearts of Home Ah ! Such a Day can 
 never come Again Snow-drifts, Sleigh-bells, and Sweet 
 hearts Mary, etc., PAGE 71 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Colonel Warlow's Story Concluded The Wool-picking 
 The Squire's Harrow Wedding Bells Profit and Loss 
 The Spectre of the Stone Corral, PAGE 79 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Monotony of Frontier Life New Homes Voting 
 Bonds The Grasshopper Raid Back to the Land of 
 the Mother-in-law Grim Famine's Shadow The Flood 
 A Strange Weird Sight, PAGE 87 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A Raging Torrent The Crows' Nest An Aerial 
 Family "Kansis oR buST," PAGE 100 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Picnic A Biled Vest A Dark-eyed Maid with her 
 Sweet Guitar Mora Estill Fishing, etc., but Principally the 
 Latter "We have met before" The Gray Spectre The 
 Mystery-wrapped Grave of the Hill-top Rough as a 
 Farmer Transmigration of Souls, PAGE 108 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A Western Call Mystery The Call lengthens into a 
 Western Visit Spring Chicken and Mystery, . . PAGE 126 
 
CONTENTS. O 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 False Riches A Young Fortune Hunter The Santa 
 Fe Trail Searching for the Gold of Monteluma The 
 Serpent's Warning Rattle The Stare of Death The Gray 
 Spectre, PAGE 144 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A Western Wheat-field A Visit to Estill's Ranch A 
 Skeleton in the Estill Closet An Art Critic who was 
 ''Beef to the Heel" Very Undairy-like A Trace of Mys 
 tery, PAGE 159 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Phantoms of the Past That " Unspeakable " Rob War- 
 low The Running-gears, if you please The Clouds thicken 
 A Glimpse of the Past, PAGE 179 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The Mysterious Trail The Secret Cell A Voice from 
 the Past The Journal of Ivarene, PAGE 194 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Web of Mystery The Gems of Monteluma A 
 Scene of Bewildering Beauty, . . PAGE 203 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The Red Gold of Monteluma My Father's Doubloons 
 The Phantom A Million of Treasure, PAGE 211 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Course of True Love The Cattle-king's Daughter- 
 Flirtation and Practicing "Your Music makes me Home 
 sick " A Dubious Compliment A Western View of Classic 
 Music Schubert's Serenade, in which Rob has the " Cheek " 
 to assert that he can recognize the very Bar in that Master 
 piece, where the Old Man turns the Bull- dog loose A Couple 
 
6 CONTENTS. 
 
 of Idiots Where Grace's Fingers itch to pull Cliff's Ears 
 A Lover whose Lip hangs Very Low That Contemptible 
 Thing, a Fortune Hunter, PAGE 220 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A Strange Theory Our Bodies may be tenanted by Souls 
 that have lived before Farewell, my Native Land A Glim 
 mering Circle of Phantom Warriors A Haunted Spot The 
 Crossing of the Santa Fe and Abilene Trails The Picnic 
 A Scene that was too Rich for my Blood, PAGE 239 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 My Long-lost Gold A Hero who dripped at the Nose 
 like a Hydrant An Embarrassment of Riches The Mirage 
 The Valley of the Smoky Hill The Iron Mound and Soldier's 
 Cap The Mennonite Colony A Gigantic Land-sale Eagle 
 Beak The Wailing Wolf of the Hill-top A Strange Creed 
 A Stately Mansion The Grave-lights of Antelope Butte A 
 Comforting and Seductive Theory We may be re-born and 
 live again to enjoy the Happiness lost by Death, . PAGE 259 
 
 u 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The Skeletons on Antelope Butte The Serene Wedding 
 Morn at the Stone Corral We Live Again Wedding Fes 
 tivitiesThe End, PAGE 285 
 
A FORTUNE HUNTER: 
 
 OR, 
 
 OLD STONK CORRAL,. 
 
 ^Chapter I. 
 
 THE sinking sun threw its amber beams over the 
 wide valley, rolling hills, and the dim buttes, 
 wreathed in the blue haze of distance and looming 
 with vague outlines in the wavering shimmer of the 
 evening mirage. 
 
 A silvery stream, half hidden by fringing trees, 
 wound through the prairie valley, but was lost to 
 sight where a lofty butte shouldered boldly down 
 from the highland on the south, as if to catch a 
 view of the Eden-like landscape that dreamed be 
 low, while far away to the north a line of galloping 
 hills bounded the vision, their mantles of tender 
 green dappled by the shadow and sunshine of the 
 fleecy clouds that floated overhead. On the south 
 the level prairie melted away into the limitless dis 
 tance, clothed in the tender grasses and flowers of 
 early spring-time, while on every hand stretched 
 away the horizon-bound prairies of the Western 
 plains. 
 
 A wide meadow-land, made perfect by the hand 
 of nature, but lacking that soul and animation which 
 
 7 
 
8 NATURE'S BLANK PAGE. 
 
 human occupancy alone can impart to any scene. 
 No homes are visible; nothing but the blank page 
 of nature, waiting to be written over with the his 
 tories of the people, which, something whispers to 
 me, will soon invade this peaceful scene, over which 
 now broods the unnatural calm of utter solitude. 
 
 Out beyond that blue line of hills, which flame 
 up in the east, is raging the fierce conflict which we 
 call civilization ; but the shock and din, the roar and 
 turmoil of the mighty battle die fitfully away long 
 before reaching the quivering line of that dim hori 
 zon. I stand alone upon the crest of a breeze- 
 kissed hill, listening to the moan and whisper of the 
 wind sighing through the grasses at my feet, or the 
 notes of a meadow lark, thrilling and sweet, as it 
 flits by. 
 
 To the westward, on a lofty knoll, are visible 
 the broken arches and ruined walls of the Old Stone 
 Corral; rank vines now veil the loop-holes where 
 once had flashed forth the leaden death-messenger 
 for many a savage warrior that had tried to storm 
 the impregnable inclosure, which had been built as 
 a place of refuge for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, 
 that here crossed the Cottonwood on a stony ford. 
 A giant elm, centuries old, stood amid the ruins, 
 its drooping boughs of feathery spray weeping like 
 a fountain of verdure over the spring that welled 
 out from among its roots, then went gurgling away, 
 a purling brook, to join the narrow stream in the 
 valley. 
 
 The river here at the ruins had nearly encir 
 cled the hill on which they stood, and after half 
 
THE OLD STONE CORRAL. 9 
 
 embracing the knoll in its timber-fringed course had 
 wound away down the valley, but where the groves 
 grew in masses of darkest green, there the stream 
 had widened to miniature lakelets that flashed like 
 silver In the slanting sunbeams. 
 
 On a low mound near by I see a great stone, 
 like a rude monument, and drawing near I can 
 barely decipher this dim and weather-worn inscrip 
 tion, carved on the red sandstone : 
 
 tv the 
 
 OF 
 
 FIFTY-THREE VICTIMS OF THE CHEYENNES, 
 
 AUGUST 22, 1849. 
 
 NAMES ALL UNKNOWN. 
 
 Here is a dim, dark tragedy, buried within this 
 grassy knoll, but within these pages all the mystery 
 which haunts the flower-bespangled hillock will 
 be cleared away. A difficult task indeed ; but with- 
 6*ut those graves my story would never have been 
 written. 
 
 I stand silent and thoughtful, gazing out over 
 the tranquil landscape, which had once witnessed a 
 scene of revolting horror here on this quiet spot; 
 but all is peaceful now, the only sign of life visible 
 being the long file of antelope that hurry by from 
 the north. Halting on a lofty headland, they pause 
 a moment, stretching their graceful necks to gaze 
 back along their pathway, then with loud snorts 
 wheeling and swiftly fleeing away. 
 
 At this moment the distant sound of hoofs was 
 heard, becoming momentarily louder; then a group 
 
 2 
 
10 THE OLD STONE CORRAL. 
 
 of riders dash up on their sleek, superb horses, and 
 draw rein at the rude monument. 
 
 " It must be here, Clifford, at this low mound," 
 said one of the riders, a graceful girl of seventeen, 
 with nut-brown hair and blue eyes. 
 
 " Yes, Maud, I recognize the knoll from father's 
 and Uncle Roger's description. It was uncle who 
 carved this inscription upon the stone, little dream 
 ing then that we should all come here a quarter of a 
 century later to secure a new home," replied a youth 
 of near twenty years; handsome, golden-haired, and 
 symmetrical, with eyes of pansy blue, and a look 
 of pride and good birth about him which showed 
 plain through the dust and tan of a long journey. 
 
 " Ah, dear Bruce and Ivarene ! how sad to end 
 their romance with such a tragedy I" said Maud tear 
 fully, as Clifford dismounted ; then, as he helped her 
 to alight, they stood for a moment in mute sorrow 
 while deciphering the inscription upon the stone. 
 
 " Maud, it is hard to believe that the heiress of 
 grand old Monteluma, with her millions of gold and 
 gems at command, who wedded noble Bruce in the 
 great cathedral before the dignitaries and ambassa 
 dors of half Christendom with a pomp and splendor 
 new to even luxury-steeped Mexico, is sleeping with 
 her husband in the silence of this lonesome grave," 
 Clifford said in a tone of deep sadness. 
 
 a Oh ! how vivid the picture returns, of the 
 silken and lace-robed heiress, who threw back the 
 gilded lattice of her window, and with pearls glint 
 ing, and rubies burning in her raven hair, smiled 
 as her handsome lover, in his uniform of gray and 
 
THE LOST TREASURE OF MONTELUMA. 11 
 
 gold lace, swung himself up to her window by the 
 passion-vines and fuchsias, that rained a shower of 
 purple, white, and rose on his sunny hair. I can 
 almost see the love-look in his blue eyes yet," said 
 Maud with a flood of tears, as she leaned against the 
 rude monument and covered her face with her hands. 
 
 " I have sometimes fancied that they escaped ; 
 for there was no one left but father to inquire, and 
 you know how long he was covered with the stones 
 of that old wall, remaining delirious for months 
 after Uncle Roger found him," said Clifford, "and 
 that million of their gold and gems, with father's 
 store of gold, I have often fancied, Maud, was hid 
 den near here; for there has never been a search 
 made since the terrible massacre." 
 
 " That looks so improbable, Clifford. If the sav 
 ages murdered them for plunder, as they certainly 
 did, then it is idle to think that they would have left 
 anything of value behind. Even the jewels would 
 have been fought for, as savages are very fond of 
 glitter and splendor," Maud replied. 
 
 " Yes, that very disposition of theirs to wrangle 
 over their booty has given me a hope that the leader 
 might have buried the gold, for the reason that it 
 would have been impossible to carry away a ton of 
 coin without first dividing it. I shall make the 
 search at any rate, though it does look like a forlorn 
 hope," he added with a sigh. 
 
 " Miss Warlow, there seems to have been a great 
 tragedy enacted here in the past," said a young man 
 of near Clifford's age, who had been silently regard 
 ing them from a distance, in company with a flaxen- 
 
12 CAMP-FIRES. 
 
 haired girl, younger than Maud, who still sat upon 
 her horse by his side. 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Moreland, and it nearly concerns us ; 
 for our father, here on this spot, once lost a great 
 fortune, and at the same time those two friends 
 of whom we have been speaking. This all was long 
 before Clifford and I were born ; but father has told 
 us so often of the tragedy that the names of Bruce 
 and Ivarene Walraven are dear and sacred to us all/ 7 
 Maud replied. 
 
 " Oh, Ralph ! I wonder if Colonel Warlow would 
 tell us the particulars of that terrible affair?" said 
 the younger girl. 
 
 " It would be doubly interesting here upon the 
 closing scene of the tragedy," the young man replied. 
 
 " Will you ask your father, Maud, to tell us to 
 night ?" the young girl inquired eagerly. 
 
 " Yes, Grace : it will help to while away our 
 first Sabbath here, which will be a lonesome day 
 to-morrow," Maud made answer as they remounted 
 and rode down to the stream to water their horses. 
 
 "What a lovely camp-ground!" exclaimed 
 Grace. "Shall we not stop here, Ralph?" 
 
 "Yes, sister, if the others are willing. It is 
 not only a fine camping ground, but it is more: 
 This is a grand home-land, or will be when we 
 select our ' claims/ Monday. I never before have 
 seen a more beautiful or fertile valley than this." 
 
 So'on a long line of white covered wagons and 
 a comfortable carriage appeared, coming down the 
 Santa Fe trail, which wound its travel-worn course 
 over the hills from the north-east; and where soli- 
 
CAMP-FIRES. 13 
 
 tude had reigned but an hour before there now re 
 echoed the sounds of a busy camp, and ruddy fires 
 leaped and sparkled, about which female forms flit 
 ted to and fro, preparing their evening meal. But 
 while all was bustle and animation within the camp, 
 a solitary figure could be seen standing at the long 
 grave, bowed in an attitude of silent grief. 
 
 As he walked slowly back within the glare of 
 the camp-fire, it was apparent that he was a man 
 past middle life, of grave and dignified appearance ; 
 the lines of care, on his still handsome face, were 
 deepened as if by grief as he seated himself by a 
 tree, away from the glare of the light. 
 
 As he sat thus lost in reverie Maud came 
 softly by, and, passing her hand over his hair in a 
 caressing way, said: 
 
 " What a lovely country this is ! I am charmed 
 with it already." 
 
 "Yes, Maud, my daughter, it is a fertile and 
 picturesque region; but it will be hard to inure 
 myself to living on this spot, for it is haunted by 
 very bitter memories." 
 
 " Oh, it is sad, indeed, to think of the fate of 
 Bruce and his graceful bride; but we will deck 
 their grave with flowers, and I shall never cease 
 to grieve for them," she said, dropping a kiss 
 on her father's cheek, then hurrying away to the 
 camp-fire. 
 
 He was roused from his gloomy reverie, a few 
 minutes later, by his wife, who came to his side, 
 and, as her hand rested fondly on his shoulder, she 
 said, in a sweet voice of womanly sympathy, in 
 
14 CAMP-FIRES. 
 
 which could be traced a sub-tone of strength and 
 resolution : 
 
 " George, dear, this is no time for repining ; 
 instead we should feel happy and grateful that we 
 have found such a delightful country as this in 
 which to select our future home. Oh, this valley 
 is more beautiful than even my wildest dreams had 
 ever pictured. I had felt apprehensive, husband, 
 that your impressions of this place had been colored 
 by your youthful enthusiasm of twenty, and own 
 that I had made ample allowance for the quarter of 
 a century which has passed since then ; but it is cer 
 tainly the most charming spot I have ever beheld." 
 
 " My dear, brave wife," he replied joyfully, "you 
 lift a heavy burden from my heart ; we will select 
 a home near here early Monday morning, and begin 
 building at once. I shall leave the selection with 
 you, Mary, however." 
 
 " Oh, we are too late," she replied, with a cheer 
 ful smile. " Robbie has found the spot already ; he 
 has just returned from down the valley, where Scott 
 Moreland and himself had driven the stock, and 
 they report having found a perfect paradise. They 
 are both boiling over with enthusiasm, and are 
 bareheaded, having left their hats hanging on trees 
 to mark the location of their respective ' claims/ 
 and when I left the camp-fire they were inveighing 
 against the injustice of a law that would not permit 
 fifteen-year-old boys to take a ' homestead/" 
 
 In a more cheerful mood the couple now sought 
 the camp-fire, which was surrounded by more than 
 a dozen persons of both sexes, all animated and 
 
THE WAELOW AND MORELAND FAMILIES. 15 
 
 happy over the termination of their long and toil 
 some journey. 
 
 The two who have just entered the circle are 
 Colonel Warlow and his wife, while the handsome 
 youth of fifteen, with hazel eyes and auburn hair, 
 which has a faint tinge of red, that accounts for the 
 reputation he has earned within the Warlow circle, 
 is Robbie, their youngest ; while that golden-haired 
 young Adonis, who, in a fit of grave abstraction, 
 sits leaning against a tree, his white and tapering 
 hands clasped about his knee, the firelight glimmer 
 ing over a small and well-shaped boot resting on 
 the round of his chair, is their oldest son, Clifford, 
 whom we have met before ; while Maud, their only 
 daughter, is easily recognized as she flits about, 
 busy and graceful. 
 
 Next we see the family of Squire Moreland, 
 from the valley of the Merrimac the squire him 
 self being a representative Puritan, plain and grave ; 
 his wife, a type of the live and thorough-going New 
 England woman, deeply imbued with the "thing 
 ness of is// able to discuss apples or algebra, beans 
 or baptism, or in fact any subject down to zymol- 
 ogy. Then Ralph, principally to be recommended 
 for being " general good fellow. " Next in their 
 family is Scott, quiet and grave, addressed by Rob 
 Warlow as the "Young Squire;" and their only 
 daughter, Grace, in whose make-up there is more 
 than a faint spice of the tomboy. 
 
 Colonel Warlow's family had left their old Mis 
 souri home, the tobacco and hemp plantation on 
 which the children had all been bom, and, having 
 
16 THE CAMP ON THE COTTON WOOD. 
 
 met the Morelands on their rout, bound for that 
 indefinite region a out West," they had journeyed 
 on together to this spot, attracted by Colonel War- 
 low's remembrance of its great beauty and natural 
 fertility, which had deeply impressed him when he 
 was here a quarter of a century before. 
 
 Learning, at Council Grove, that the valley was 
 open to homestead entry, they had hastened on, 
 miles ahead of other settlements, to locate here on 
 a spot that was beyond the utmost limit of civil 
 ization. 
 
 Soon the hungry travelers were seated at the 
 cloth that was spread on the downy buffalo-grass, 
 and were partaking of the broiled quail and ante 
 lope steak, the appetizing odors of which now per 
 vaded the whole camp; but as the company ranged 
 themselves about the tempting repast, Maud and 
 Grace retired to a seat by the fire, declaring as they 
 did so, that they would not sacrifice their precious 
 lives by sitting at a table with thirteen other sinners. 
 
 "Give us a song, then," cried some one from 
 the table, at which Grace sprang up and brought 
 Maud's guitar from the carriage, and soon the sweet 
 strains, 
 
 "Oft in the stilly night, 
 
 Ere slumber's chains have bound me, 
 Fond memory brings the light 
 Of other days around me," 
 
 re-echoed through the tranquil valley. As Maud's 
 tender soprano -mingled with the luscious alto of 
 Grace's voice the listeners almost forgot the tempt 
 ing feast spread before them, and cries of "Bravo!" 
 
THE CAMP ON THE COTTON WOOD. 17 
 
 "Encore!" etc., greeted the close of the pathetic 
 song, which was wholly lost, as to its sentiment, 
 upon the younger members of the company. 
 
 "Pass the hat," cried Bob, whereupon Grace 
 handed her sunshade around among the laughing 
 group, but after inspecting the collection, she said 
 with an air of contempt : 
 
 "A wish-bone and five bread-crusts! Why, a 
 prima donna would starve on such a meagre salary. 
 I Ve a notion to play Herodias's daughter and 
 dance off your heads ;" and when Maud struck up a 
 lively fandango, she shook her curls in a threaten 
 ing manner, and then whirled off into an amazing 
 waltz. 
 
 Jeers and hoots from the boys resounded at her 
 last pas seul, and Clifford's voice was heard in the 
 gay tumult saying : " Mademoiselle dis Grace must 
 have learned her step at an Irish wake. 
 
 " Let us no longer serve an ungrateful public," 
 said Maud, as they sat down to the table, where 
 their gayety chased away all traces of care or 
 sorrow. When the meal was finished, Maud and 
 Grace begged Colonel Warlow to relate his early 
 history. Their request was eagerly seconded by 
 the other members of the company, who were anx 
 ious to learn the particulars of that tragedy, hinted 
 at by the inscription on the mound, and how he 
 came to be connected with the actors in that terri 
 ble drama, and to lose a great fortune on that spot 
 so long ago. Then the colonel, after sitting for a 
 few moments wrapped in serious thought, replied 
 that it was a long story, and would require more 
 
18 THE CAMP ON THE COTTON WOOD. 
 
 than one evening to relate all the particulars of that 
 great tragedy, that would always be fresh in his 
 memory as long as life endured. 
 
 The company reminded him that it would be 
 rather lonesome on their first Sabbath, and entreated 
 him so eagerly that at length he consented ; then, as 
 the firelight leaped and sparkled, and the beams of 
 the rising moon silvered the waters of the stream, 
 moaning and fretting over the stony ford, they all 
 gathered about the colonel, still and expectant. 
 The quavering scream of a lone wolf died out on 
 the hills in a plaintive wail; then only the faint 
 whisper of the wind sighing though the willows was 
 heard, and the colonel said : 
 
BRUCE WALRAVEN. 19 
 
 Chapter II. 
 
 COLONEL, \VA.:RLOW'S STORY. 
 
 " TT 7 HEN a boy of twenty I joined the army that 
 V\ soon invaded Mexico, and carried victory 
 with its banners into the Aztec capital the world- 
 renowned halls of the Montezumas. 
 
 "It was before Vera Cruz when our ranks 
 were swept by the iron hail, rained upon our storm 
 ing columns by scores of cannon from San Juan de 
 Ulloa that I first saw Bruce Walraven, whom I 
 was thenceforth to regard as a brother. 
 
 "An exploding shell had killed my horse, which 
 had fallen upon me in such a way that made it im 
 possible for me to rise without assistance ; and while 
 I was yet vainly struggling to extricate myself from 
 the dangerous position, a squadron of cavalry rushed 
 by, charging a company of Mexican infantry in 
 trenched behind a light breastwork of sand-bags. I 
 held up my hand with an imploring gesture a 
 human voice was lost in the wild thunder and roar 
 of artillery and the leader of the cavalry saw my 
 sad plight. He wavered a moment as though strug 
 gling with discipline; but the sight of a fellow- 
 soldier in distress seemed to outweigh all else, even 
 the pride of leading his men, for he dashed to my 
 side and helped me to rise ; then, as a riderless 
 horse galloped by, he caught its dangling rein, and 
 
20 BRUCE WALRAVEN. 
 
 by his help, in a moment more I was again in tKe 
 saddle. 
 
 "By rapid riding we soon overtook the com 
 mand, and were greeted by a ringing cheer from 
 the soldiers, who quickly showed their appreciation 
 of his humanity. Later in the war I would not 
 have been so fortunate ; but we were new, as yet, to 
 scenes of bloodshed and carnage, which accounted 
 for the laxity of discipline, but evidence of hu 
 manity, shown in this incident. 
 
 "After the successful storming of the enemy's 
 slight earthworks, which, with their usual lack of 
 military sience, had been but half manned and illy 
 constructed, I had a long talk with young Lieu 
 tenant Walraven, and in a short time I had man 
 aged to be exchanged into his, company; and we 
 soon became inseparable companions, sharing the 
 same blanket at night and rude fare during the day, 
 or riding side by side through the battles of that 
 glorious "campaign, and finally reaching the valley 
 of Mexico safely. 
 
 " Here, while engaged in a slight skirmish with 
 the enemy, Walraven was wounded in the arm, and 
 was immediately conveyed to the old hacienda of 
 Monteluma, near by. At his urgent request I was 
 detailed to stay with him as a guard. In the courts 
 of that princely villa he rapidly convalesced; and 
 one day, while seated by the great fountain, where 
 myrtle and jasmine, oleander and roses, mingled 
 their fragrance, he saw two beautiful Spanish ladies 
 loitering near, and being concealed by the luxuriant 
 
THE HEIRESS OF MONTELUMA. 21 
 
 foliage himself, he could see and hear all that passed 
 without being discovered. 
 
 "He always afterward declared to me that at 
 first he had no intention of playing the eaves 
 dropper; but when he learned from their talk that 
 it was himself they were discussing, then the temp 
 tation became too great to resist, so he sat very still 
 while the following dialogue took place, and which, 
 with his usual boyish frankness, he related to me 
 an hour later. This was in Spanish; but Bruce 
 was now quite proficient in that language, and 
 readily understood all that was said : 
 
 " ' But, Ivarene, my dear, it does not become 
 Don Rozarro's daughter and heiress last, alas ! of 
 the proud line of Monteluma to become infatuated 
 with the blue eyes and golden hair of this wounded 
 soldier; and if he is as handsome as a Norse king, 
 to which you so foolishly compare him, he still is 
 no less our country's* enemy/ said the elder lady, 
 who seemed to be a duenna, whose sole care con 
 sisted in keeping the younger and more beautiful 
 lady hidden from the eyes of her unwelcome guests, 
 but with what success you may readily perceive. 
 
 " ' But, Labella, cousin dear, he is alone, wounded 
 and ill in a foreign land no mother, sister, or 
 sweetheart near to soothe his long days of pain ! (I 
 wonder if he has a sweetheart in that cold North 
 land !) And then, Labella, does not the good Book 
 command us to do good to those who hate us, and 
 to love our enemies?' she replied with a mischiev 
 ous smile. 
 
22 THE VALE OP MEXICO. 
 
 " ' Oh, the command, iny darling, does not apply 
 to every sunny-haired trooper who invades our 
 country ' 
 
 " ' No no ; not every one, true I' retorted Iva- 
 rene, archly, to which the duenna quickly replied : 
 
 " ' I fear, Ivarene, that your English education, 
 and your much reading of those Northern books, 
 have turned your head/ 
 
 "Here the ladies passed on through a latticed 
 arcade, and their voices were lost in the distance; 
 but my friend had seen and heard enough to lose 
 his heart completely, and in the evening, as we 
 sat on the balcony without, he was so quiet and 
 thoughtful that I began to realize the fact that he 
 was deeply entangled in the messes of love at 
 first sight. 
 
 " Leaving him to his reflections, I walked to the 
 edge of the balcony to gaze out over the matchless 
 landscape which the lofty msfnsion commanded. 
 
 " The tropic moon poured a flood of silvery ra 
 diance over the Vale of Mexico, while low down on 
 the horizon burned the fiery Southern Cross. The 
 bubbling domes of the great capital seemed to float 
 upon the lakes which environ its walls, and her 
 myriad lights twinkled and flashed back from their 
 waters like stars on a frosty night. 
 
 " Old Chapultepec, with its castellated walls, 
 towered out on the lofty headland ; and the dark 
 forests of cypress, that had witnessed the tragedies 
 and pageants of Aztec splendor for a thousand 
 years past, clothed the base of the hill in a sombre 
 mantle, peopled by the spectres, I thought, of long 
 
THE VALE OF MEXICO. 23 
 
 dead princes and Montezumas that in the dim past 
 had lived their lives of inconceivable luxury in 
 those ancient groves. 
 
 "Over all loomed the old volcanoes, white and 
 ghostly, with their mantles of eternal snow and 
 hearts of hidden fire. Shrouded in mystery, they 
 seemed a fit emblem of the Aztec past, whose buried 
 histories still haunt this ancient land. 
 
 " Near by, at the foot of the lofty terrace, the 
 groves of olive and orange were sombre in shade. 
 In the soft wind the myrtle rustled faintly, and on 
 the roses at our feet the dew-drops glinted in fitful 
 splendor. 
 
 " In an angle of the old wall, where the murky 
 shadows were deepest, the glow-worms burned in the 
 damp grass, and the fire-flies glimmered incessantly. 
 There I half fancied that I could see strange forms 
 hovering; and when a figure flitted out into the 
 moonlight, then was quickly lost again in the black 
 shade of an aloe, I was startled for a moment ; but 
 concluding it was one of the peons belonging to the 
 estate, I turned my eyes to again feast on the glo 
 rious view. 
 
 " There were numberless fountains pouring 
 down their sheen of waters, that, after flashing a 
 moment in the moonlight, rippled away in rivulets, 
 which gurgled and sang as they leaped over the ter 
 races in mimic cascades, where they joined the. 
 waters of the fairy-like lakes that slumbered in the 
 grounds below. These tranquil sheets of water 
 were the reservoirs which served to irrigate the vast 
 estate, and were decked with floating gardens, on 
 
24 BANDITS. 
 
 which were gilded arbors or lattices of white, with 
 beds of bright-hued tropic flowers. 
 
 " On every hand lay league upon league of land, 
 all owned by the young mistress of Monteluma. The 
 long avenue of cypress only ending close to the 
 walls of the capital, the villages of peons, the pas 
 turages where the numerous flocks grazed, groves 
 of orange and lemon, and the fields of wheat, all 
 these I knew were the undisputed estate of our 
 hostess, of whom Bruce was now dreaming. 
 
 " I was aroused from my reverie by an excla 
 mation from my companion, who had now sprung 
 up excitedly and was pointing down toward the en 
 trance, while he grasped the pistols that hung in his 
 belt weapons that were never lost sight of in this 
 turbulent country. As I looked toward the spot 
 where he was pointing I could see the long line 
 of a hundred steps which led up to the only en 
 trance to the hacienda lined and thronging with 
 armed men. 
 
 " In a moment the situation flashed upon us : 
 they were banditti or marauders, emboldened by 
 the unprotected state of the rich villa, and were now 
 attacking the great iron-studded door. If they 
 effected an entrance, I shuddered with apprehension 
 to think of the fate of its inmates; but we lost no 
 time while we were thus speculating, but quickly 
 barring the door on the balcony we rushed down into 
 the court, and while I grasped the bell-rope and sent 
 forth a wild alarm from the brazen bell that hung 
 in the lofty tower, Bruce hurried on through the 
 long hall toward the door of entrance. 
 
BANDITS. 25 
 
 " As he was fastening the chains and bars across 
 the entrance a crowd of frightened peons came flock 
 ing into the hall, and while we were hastily arming 
 them with the guns that hung upon the wall and 
 directing them to guard the upper windows and 
 fc doors that opened out upon the lofty balconies, the 
 door of the great saloon was hurriedly thrown open, 
 and Senora Labella asked in a trembling voice the 
 reason of the commotion. 
 
 " When she learned that the bandits were at the 
 door she fled back into the room, and as we followed, 
 assuring her of our protection, we saw her fly to 
 where the young heiress stood, her arm yet resting 
 upon the gilded harp which she had but just that 
 moment ceased playing, and the light from the sil 
 ver chandelier falling softly upon her raven hair 
 and the lustrous white silk that fell in graceful folds 
 about her slender form. 
 
 " Whife the excited duenna clung to the more 
 youthful lady, and gave way to incoherent cries of 
 fear and moans of distress, we begged them to 
 retire to a tower of great strength, and we would 
 surely repel the attack; but Ivarene declared she 
 would stay and help defend her home saying she 
 would not have it said that the last Rozarro was the 
 first to flee from danger. 
 
 "After the senora had been given over to the 
 care of a bevy of badly frightened maids, Ivarene 
 hurried fearlessly out into the hall and showed Bruce 
 where several loop-holes were concealed by slides of 
 iron. These commanded the entrance, and while 
 we rained a galling fire upon the enemy, she stood 
 
 3 
 
26 THE RESCUE. 
 
 in an angle of the thick wall and reloaded the guns 
 for us, which we as rapidly discharged again with 
 telling effect. The blows upon the door soon ceased, 
 and we could see the marauders retreating down the 
 steps; then, as a parting salute followed them, they 
 could be heard galloping swiftly away. 
 
 " When all was still again, we accompanied the 
 brave young heiress back to the saloon, where she 
 thanked us earnestly for the rescue of her home 
 from the hands of the marauders. Of course, we 
 quickly assured her that the honors and glory of 
 the occasion rested in her bravery and resolution. 
 When she gave her hand to my handsome, sunny- 
 haired friend, I think something stronger than ad 
 miration shone in his deep-blue eyes as he gazed 
 upon the beautiful Creole face, now suffused with 
 blushes and lit by eyes of midnight blackness. 
 
 " The senora had now recovered from her ag 
 itation, and was voluble and profuse in her thanks 
 and compliments. At a sign from her the servants 
 brought great silver trays, loaded with cake of 
 white and gold, with decanters of ruby wine, glit 
 tering in the flasks of cut glass like liquid fire. 
 For an hour or more the dark-eyed young heiress 
 sang songs of Spain in a voice of cultured melody, 
 while her white fingers swept the gilded harp, that 
 vibrated in tones of sweetest harmony under her 
 skillful touch. 
 
 As a compliment to us she also sang several 
 Scotch and English ballads, and we were pleas 
 antly surprised to learn that she had received an 
 
THE RESCUE. 27 
 
 education in England, and spoke our own tongue 
 with remarkable fluency. 
 
 " From that night we were accorded all the 
 privileges of honored guests in the great hacienda." 
 
 Here the colonel paused, remarking that as the 
 hour was growing late his hearers would excuse 
 him, which they promised to do providing he would 
 continue his narrative on the morrow. As the 
 party arose from about the camp-fire, Robbie 
 said he felt heroic enough to eat several Mexicans, 
 not to mention such relishes as wine, cake, and 
 peons, at which very broad hint the tea-kettle was 
 soon humming on the embers; and when the cups 
 of the soothing beverage were handed around, 
 Grace passed a basket, which, if not filled with 
 such luxuries as those which had graced the Mex 
 ican saloon, were at least very acceptable to our 
 friends. 
 
 Scott, whose attention was divided between a 
 chicken-bone and reverie, suddenly inquired if they 
 thought there would ever be another war with Mex 
 ico. As the party broke up with a laugh at his ex 
 pense, the quiet of nature once more reigned over 
 the valley, broken only by the hoarse croak of the 
 frogs in the dark pools and the shrill cry of the 
 cicada in the grass. 
 
 The moon threw a pale, silvery light upon the 
 row of white tents, where our friends were soon 
 dreaming of the new homes that they would build 
 in this tranquil valley ; yet no vision of the strange 
 events which fate held in store for them came to 
 
28 THE WEB OF DESTINY. 
 
 prepare them for the life of trial and adventure 
 which they were now entering upon. 
 
 One day more of quiet rest, then would begin a 
 life new and strange for them all. They had left 
 their old selves forever behind; their past was a 
 blank; new faces and new friends awaited them 
 here in their future home, which had never been 
 even claimed as the property of any man since the 
 dawn of creation. 
 
 Yes, fate is both unkind and compassionate in 
 withholding a knowledge of the blessings and trials 
 that await them here; so they slumber on, while 
 unseen destiny begins to weave her web, checkered 
 and mysterious as the veil of moonlight that wavers 
 through the willows. 
 
BREAKFAST ON THE PLAINS. 29 
 
 Chapter III. 
 
 COLONEL \VAFJ.LOW'S STORY CONTINUED. 
 
 THE morning of that Sabbath broke calm and 
 serene. A warm haze brooded over the valley 
 or danced in lines of quivering heat across the 
 green prairies of the upland, and the dew had long 
 since ceased to. glitter on the rank blue-stem grass 
 when our friends awoke. 
 
 The breakfast which followed almost caused 
 them to forget the fact that they were out upon 
 the borders of the "Great American Desert/' and 
 they might have fancied that they were once more 
 but picnicking under the shade of their native 
 groves; for it was a meal that had exhausted the 
 culinary art of both matrons. Wild mushrooms, 
 stewed in sweet cream, deliciously fragrant and 
 hinting of the wild-wood near by, delicate brook- 
 trout from the stream, mingled their aroma with 
 the elder-bloom fritters which Maud was preparing ; 
 and on the snowy damask, spread on the grass, Mrs. 
 Moreland's golden honey-comb vied with the War- 
 low jelly and crimson marmalade, while the coffee 
 would make one dream of Araby the blest. 
 
 An hour after the morning meal we find our 
 friends seated under the shade of the great elm 
 among the ruins, the sunlight struggling faintly 
 through the verdant canopy and weaving a golden 
 
30 LOVE AND ORANGE-FLOWERS. 
 
 veil over the ashen buffalo-grass, starred by daisies 
 and violets. The spring welled out with a sleepy 
 murmur, and overhead an oriole, near its swinging 
 nest, caroled forth a stream of bubbling melody. 
 
 "A month passed," continued the colonel, " and 
 we still lingered in the stately mansion, daily and 
 hourly meeting the young heiress, who was always 
 accompanied by her matronly kinswoman. But one 
 morning, as Bruce was loitering in the court, he 
 glanced up and saw the smiling face of Ivarene, 
 framed by the passion-flowers, fuchsias, and jasmine 
 which festooned the walls within the court and 
 wreathed the lattice above her balcony. 
 
 "With an impulse which he could not resist 
 our young hero swung himself up by the vines, and 
 stood, with his sunny hair and smiling blue eyes, 
 within the balcony. He wore the uniform of a 
 captain of cavalry soft gray, with cords and lace 
 of frosted gilt over the breast top-boots, embossed 
 with gold, and a hat half concealed by the drooping 
 plumes. 
 
 " She threw back Jhe gilded jalousies which 
 guarded her window, and, smiling graciously, held 
 out her hand, which he clasped with all the rapture 
 of an infatuated lover. 
 
 "She was robed in soft, rose-colored India 
 muslin, embroidered in white lilies, and over her 
 breast and arms fell a cascade of lace, caught lightly 
 over her raven tresses, in that graceful manner 
 which the ladies of Spanish America wear the man 
 tilla; gleaming through its filmy folds could be 
 seen the rubies which burned in her hair. 
 
LOVE AND ORANGE-FLOWERS. 31 
 
 " Within that flower-entwined balcony was re- 
 enacted that tender scene old as the dawn of crea 
 tion, still ever new. JEow he told the tale, or how 
 she answered, I can not say, but may readily sur 
 mise from the brilliant wedding which followed in 
 the old cathedral a few months later. 
 
 "Bruce had become very popular with the 
 young officers of our army, and I have often seen 
 him riding about the city with McClellan, and " 
 
 "What! not our < Little Mac?'" cried Squire 
 Moreland, springing to his feet, transformed into 
 an impetuous soldier by the magic of a name, and 
 while the others regarded him with amazement, as 
 he paced back and forth with clenched hands, he 
 continued in a tone of repressed vehemence: "If 
 there is one name that would cause me to leap from 
 the grave, it is that of ' Little Mac/ the Giant of 
 Antietam ; and, as there is a God above, I believe it 
 was McClellan who led us to victory at Gettysburg. 
 Oh, can I ever forget that terrible day when the 
 host of Lee beat and broke in thunder over the 
 hills like the ocean on a rocky shore, drenching 
 our ranks in a surf of blood when reckless Long- 
 street charged like a whirlwind through smoke and 
 flame, while our columns staggered under the shock ? 
 The scream of countless shells and the stunning 
 belch and roar of a thousand cannon mingled with 
 the trample of the Southern cavalry as it hurled its 
 squadrons upon us like the throes of an earthquake, 
 their storm of rebel yells rising above the notes of 
 Dixie and all the din of conflict with- the roar of a 
 hurricane. Oh, Heaven ! how then we longed for 
 
32 LOVE AND ORANGE-FLOWERS. 
 
 one hour of 'Little Mac!' That day our Nation's 
 fate trembled in the balance; a few more shocks 
 and all would be lost ; then this fierce army another 
 such the world has never seen would sweep over 
 the North like an avalanche ! Every moment hur 
 ried myriads into eternity, wringing loving hearts 
 and breaking many a home from Maine to Texas. 
 But when the word, like an electric shock, flashed 
 along our hopeless ranks, ( Little Mae has come,' can 
 I ever, ever, forget the shout of delight that burst 
 from the parched lips of threescore thousand men ? 
 the rapid rush of marching ranks as they hurried 
 to death, shouting, ' Little Mac, Little Mac !' when 
 squadrons flashed by to the cannon's mouth, shak 
 ing the earth with their thunders of that mighty 
 name ? Oh ! the wild delight and glory of that hour, 
 when the fierce but baffled hosts of Lee broke and 
 fled ! But at the battle's close they claimed that it 
 was only a ruse, and that McClellan was not there. 
 Yet I shall always believe he did lead us that day ; 
 but, unwilling to impair the laurels of Meade, he 
 has kept silent all these years only such a man is 
 capable of that grand heroism. I have interrupted 
 you, Colonel. Please excuse me, and proceed with 
 your narrative." 
 
 After a moment's silence, the colonel said : 
 " Bruce Walraven was descended from a noble 
 English family that had settled in New York in 
 the earliest colonial days, but their fortunes had 
 waned until himself and his sword were all that re 
 mained of that once powerful house. He was an 
 orphan, who had graduated with honor at West 
 
LOVE AND ORANGE-FLOWERS. 33 
 
 Point Military Academy, and was utterly alone in 
 the world, with no one to love but Ivarene and my 
 self, yet no brothers could have been more deeply 
 attached than we soon became to each other. 
 
 " I have never yet described him to you, from 
 the fact that that Well, I feel a strange re 
 luctance to say that Clifford, here, is the very image 
 of that friend who died four years before my boy 
 was born; but as I look at my son now, I almost 
 fancy that Bruce is with me again, and that all my 
 manhood's troubled years are only a fitful dream. 
 
 " Since his boyhood I have noticed Clifford's re 
 semblance to Bruce, and as my boy grew older he 
 seemed to almost take the place of my lost friend, 
 which has resulted, you perceive, in a sort of com 
 panionship between us which leads strangers to 
 take us for brothers, instead of father and son. But 
 to my story again. 
 
 "The wedding-day dawned fair and serene, and 
 at noon a company of young cadets from Chapul- 
 tepec, all of whom were sons of the highest Mexi 
 can aristocracy, filed out on the avenue of cypresses 
 that led to Monteluma, their snow-white horses 
 trapped with gold and purple, and their steel hel 
 mets a mass of tossing plumes ; their high top-boots 
 of glossy black were embossed with gilt, and on the 
 breasts of their white tunics the Mexican eagle 
 flashed in silver, as two and two they galloped out 
 to the great hacienda. 
 
 " An hour later Ivarene entered her low, open 
 carriage, which was richly gilded and drawn by four 
 white horses that were almost hidden by garlands 
 
 4 
 
34 LOVE AND ORANGE-FLOWERS. 
 
 of bright-hued flowers. She wore a robe of white 
 satin, while a tiara and necklace of pearls glimmered 
 through the filmy veil that trailed like a mist about 
 her form. Behind her, there rode in separate car 
 riages, each drawn by two white horses, her seven 
 bridesmaids, who were likewise dressed in white. 
 Senora Labella sat by the side of Ivarene, and a 
 grand dame also occupied each carriage with a brides 
 maid ; their sumptuous toilets of satin, velvet, and 
 brocade were of purple and cream-rose, emerald 
 and lilac. 
 
 " As this brilliant company filed out on the ave 
 nue, four cadets riding in double file between each 
 carriage, flowers were strewn in the road by long 
 lines of peon children dressed in white. At the 
 city gates a double guard of Mexican and American 
 soldiers, riding white horses and gorgeous with 
 military trappings, escorted them through the city 
 to the grand plaza, where the old cathedral was 
 thronged with the proud and great of two nations, 
 while the ministers and foreign ambassadors of 
 nearly all of Europe and the Americas, waited in 
 pomp of state with their wives and daughters, all 
 attired in the extreme of luxury. I shall not try 
 to depict the splendor of the final scene when the 
 cardinal in his robes of scarlet pronounced the sol 
 emn service, and pale, handsome Bruce^ wearing 
 his uniform of a colonel, received his bride from the 
 hand of Don Hernando Rozarro, the Spanish 
 ambassador. 
 
 " Haughty Santa Anna was there, and General 
 Taylor looked happily on, while all around were 
 
LOVE AND OKANGE-FLOWERS. 35 
 
 grouped our gallant officers, graceful and young, 
 whose names now thunder down the galleries of 
 fame linked with Antietam, Shiloh, and blood- 
 drenched Malvern Hill. Grant and Lee, those 
 slumbering lions, that in after years were to shake 
 the continent with appalling conflict, now stood side 
 by side, each carrying the wedding favor of their 
 friend. 
 
 " A scene of splendor ensued that recalled the 
 old pageants of the Montezumas, when a long line 
 of gilded coaches and prancing white horses filed out 
 in the twilight, along the avenue returning to Mon- 
 teluma. The sun had set, but a parting gleam was 
 yet crimsoning the snow on the volcano of Toluco, 
 while the sombre cypresses were aglow with the 
 green and rosy light of torches, carried by the 
 double line of peons in their ancient Aztec garb. 
 Old Monteluma glimmered like a jewel from ter 
 race to turret with colored lights, while out upon 
 the broad esplanades, where thousands of the peons 
 were feasting, the fountains flashed white and misty, 
 like the snow-storms of my Northern home. 
 
 " When Ivarene, leaning on Bruce's arm, walked 
 up the long flight of steps to the doorway of her 
 old home, the marble beneath her feet was hidden 
 by the rose-leaves strewn by peon girls in white, 
 while her train was borne by four small Indian 
 pages in feather costumes, gorgeous as humming 
 birds. Within, the halls were blazing with light, 
 and garlanded by tropic flowers. Tables were loaded 
 with gold, silver, and crystal; wine flowed like 
 water ; while the viol and harp, gay dance and song, 
 
36 ROSES AND THORNS. 
 
 caused the hours to speed swiftly by, and the tired 
 but happy revelers only sought their homes when 
 the snowy summit of Popocatapetl was flushed with 
 rose, and bars of pale gold flashed out from behind 
 the dim crest of Orizaba. 
 
 " After a brief honey-moon, which was spent at 
 La Puebla, Bruce and his bride returned to Mon- 
 teluma, and so urgent was the invitation which they 
 extended for me to make my home with them 
 until I should decide to return northward, that 
 I immediately joined them in their princely abode. 
 
 " My friend soon discovered that his rosy path 
 was beset thickly with thorns, for every day he was 
 made aware of the aversion in which his Mexican 
 neighbors held him; their cold neglect cut deeper 
 than their swords. So it was with growing alarm 
 that his wife beheld these symptoms, for she well 
 knew how the fine speeches and grave courtesy of 
 her countrymen often covered hearts of hate and 
 tiger-like rage ; and when she saw the covert hos 
 tility of her former friends she became apprehen 
 sive, indeed, for the safety of her husband. 
 
 " One day she startled us by proposing that we 
 should all go North to her husband's former home 
 on the Hudson, and she then proceeded to say that 
 she had grown to view her native land with some 
 thing of the feelings with which it was regarded 
 abroad. She had resided in England several years, 
 and now longed again for the life and freedom of 
 the Anglo-Saxons. 
 
 " Although Bruce was overjoyed at the prospect, 
 he still said he would not insist on taking her from 
 
ROSES AND THORNS. 37 
 
 her native land and kindred ; but when she said that 
 her only relative living now was Labella, who was 
 soon to many Herr Yon Brunn, a merchant of the 
 capital, and that she had determined to sell Monte- 
 luma to an Englishman for seventy thousand doub 
 loons, or over a million dollars, then he reluctantly 
 consented to the change, only stipulating that the 
 immediate park, grounds, and mansion should be 
 reserved, so that if she grew tired of her Northern 
 home they would find her old mansion awaiting 
 their return. 
 
 "Kissing him tenderly, she declared he was a 
 Eozarro in spirit, if not in name. It was decided to 
 leave the villa in charge of Labella, and in a short 
 time a sale of the estate was consummated for the 
 sum of fifty thousand doubloons, or seven hundred 
 and fifty thousand dollars in gold the mansion and 
 park being reserved. 
 
 " Senora Labella was dowered by Ivarene with 
 a gift of several thousand doubloons on her wed 
 ding Von Brunn, after which event we set to work 
 earnestly preparing for our overland journey north 
 ward. A long train of wagons were loaded with 
 dry-goods for the markets of Northern Mexico. 
 The price of such articles there had been enhanced 
 enormously by the war, and Von Brunn shrewdly 
 advised us to pursue this course. When Ivarene 
 kindly oifered to loan me money to invest in this 
 manner, I gladly accepted fifty thousand dollars, 
 with which I bought linen and cotton goods at the 
 port of Vera Cruz, which was then crowded by the 
 ships of all nations. 
 
38 ROSES AND THORNS. 
 
 " I might be pardoned for digressing a moment 
 while speaking of the strange belief in a future 
 state which Bruce entertained. There was a vein of 
 seriousness and grave, quiet religion running through 
 the nature of my friend, and often, while we were 
 stretched on our blanket with no canopy but the 
 dewless Mexican sky, studded by the Southern 
 Cross, and bespangled by constellations that were 
 new and strange to our eyes often, I say, he would 
 talk of that weird belief, which then was very enig 
 matical to me, but which in my maturer life has 
 recurred with a sweet solace to my declining years. 
 
 " Bruce believed that the soul was an individual, 
 invisible as air and imperishable as time itself, 
 and that the spirit was a progressive, rational being, 
 which could never leave this earth until the great 
 Judgment-day, at which time our planet would be as 
 unfit for a human abode as the moon is at present. 
 
 " After death, which, he said, was only a wearing 
 out of the outer garment of the soul or spirit, the 
 animating principle, or life, would still inhabit the 
 earth, invisible to human eyes, but yet an intelli 
 gent, observing being ; subtile as air, yet powerful 
 as electricity. Whenever the newly released soul 
 chose to do so, it could take on a new form by being 
 re-born. He thought that before birth we were pos 
 sessed of a life akin to that of the vegetable king 
 dom, but at birth a spirit that had lived before 
 took possession of our bodies, and used us as a 
 habitation until our bodies became either worn 
 through age, or distasteful to the occupant death 
 ensuing in either case. 
 
ROSES AND THORNS. 39 
 
 " His highest idea of heaven, he said, would be 
 to have the power to live again, and again meet 
 those friends whom he had loved best in the prior 
 life, guided to them unerringly by the mystic ties 
 of love and affinity. Memory of the past life, he 
 thought, was that sense which we call instinct, 
 conscience, or intuition, being only a feeble glim 
 mer, as it were, of the previous state in which we 
 had lived. 
 
 " I remember well, the night before the battle 
 of Churubusco, how Bruce and I talked of these 
 things; for he said, as we sat beneath a palm-tree, 
 while the tropic moon flooded the earth with a 
 dreamy splendor, that we were to fight the last 
 great battle of the war on the morrow a conflict 
 in which one or both of us might perish and all 
 that reconciled him to such a fate was the belief 
 that we should live again, and meet each other in 
 this world, which was the only heaven we were yet 
 fitted for. 
 
 " I would not have you entertain the thought 
 for one instant that Bruce was skeptical or irre 
 ligious. On the contrary, his fearless piety was 
 often commented upon; for I have seen him kneel 
 on the bloody fields of Cerro Gordo and Contreras, 
 and thank God in a trembling voice for his gracious 
 preservation of my life and his own, while the rude 
 soldiery stood by with mute respect, remembering his 
 reckless daring and lion-like bravery in the hours of 
 deadliest peril to which human life can be exposed. 
 
 " No ; his creed was a very strange one, though 
 one that is old as history itself; he appeared to 
 
40 ROSES AND THORNS. 
 
 differ from the general belief only in his definition 
 of heaven and its location. He often said that if a 
 man retrograded and became brutal he would meet 
 his punishment in the next life, for his brutal 
 instincts would seek their affinity after death and 
 he could only be re-born as a brute, in which state 
 he would remain until his new life exhausted the 
 brutal element from his soul. 
 
 " I fancy he imbibed his doctrines from his father, 
 who had been an officer in India. It might have 
 been that the elder Walraven had there caught 
 glimpses of a belief somewhat akin to Buddhism. 
 When I pressed Bruce for his proof of this strange 
 theory he referred me to the Bible Matthew xvi, 
 13, 14: 'When Jesus came to Cesarea Philippi, he 
 asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that 
 I, the Son of man, am ? And they said, Some say 
 that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and 
 others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets/ All of 
 which goes to prove how ancient the belief really 
 is ; for it is apparent that people believed Christ to 
 be the reincarnation of a spirit of one of those peo 
 ple who had been dead many years. 
 
 "Ivarene soon became ^converted to Bruce's 
 creed, while I often find myself, even yet, taking 
 solace in this strange belief. 
 
 "Early in the spring of 1848, the long caravan 
 started northward, and when we arrived at Chi 
 huahua, a ready market was found for the goods, 
 after disposing of which I found that I had more 
 than doubled the sum invested ; so when the debt 
 was repaid to my kind benefactors, with the addi- 
 
A CASK OF GOLD. 41 
 
 tion of a liberal interest for the use of the money, 
 there was still left me, as clear profit, fifty thousand 
 dollars in gold. 
 
 " We spent the winter in Santa Fe, but early the 
 next spring resumed our journey, I having in the 
 meantime bought a few wagon-loads of wool to take 
 through to Independence, Missouri, which was then 
 the eastern terminus of the Santa Fe Trail ; but the 
 money which I had saved from my speculation 
 remained intact, and was deposited with fifty sacks 
 of doubloons (which were the property of Bruce 
 and Ivarene) in a large iron-bound cask of cypress- 
 wood, each sack plainly marked with the name of 
 its owner, and the wfyole tightly packed in wool 
 within the cask. 
 
 "This vast treasure, more than half a million 
 of dollars in gold coin, only represented a portion 
 of my friend's wealth ; for there were chests of costly 
 silks, brocades, velvets, and priceless laces, all the 
 accumulation of centuries of luxury and boundless 
 riches; paintings by Murillo and Velasquez, that 
 for ages had adorned the long gallery at Monte- 
 luma; books of vellum, and richly bound volumes 
 from its marble-paved library, together with a dozen 
 wagon-loads of carved ebony, mahogany, and rose 
 wood furniture from the same stately home. 
 
 " I shall never forget that glorious scene, the 
 last evening in Chihuahua, when the sinking sun 
 lit up the low room* where we three sat, with an 
 open casket before us and the stone table ablaze 
 with glimmering gems. 
 
 " There were scores of great, pure diamonds, 
 
42 THE CASKET OF GEMS. 
 
 flashing back a quivering glare of rainbow hues; 
 rubies glowing like fire with rose and crimson light ; 
 white, frosty pearls, glinting beside the baleful 
 emeralds, that emitted fitful gleams of green and 
 gold. Over all flickered the wavering shimmer of 
 opal and blood-stones, mingling with the violet, 
 lilac, and purple rays of sapphires and amethysts. 
 
 "A great many of these gems had been purchased 
 by my friends through the advice and assistance of 
 Von Brunn ; but the most precious of the lot were 
 heir-looms, of which Ivarene was justly proud, and 
 for an hour she recounted their histories : 
 
 " The great blood-stone had once shone in the 
 war-club of an Aztec prince, who was slain in battle 
 by the first Baron of Monteluma, one of those ad 
 venturous spirits that came over and shared the 
 glory of the conquest with Cortez. 
 
 " The carcanet of pearls was a gift from Queen 
 Isabella to the bride of the same brave knight. 
 
 "A diamond cross that had been bestowed by 
 Leo X. upon a cardinal of the house of Rozarro. 
 
 "A ruby dragon that carried in its mouth the 
 Order of the Golden Fleece. This was a mark of 
 the highest honor that a Spanish king could confer 
 upon his subject, a viceroy of Mexico, also a mem 
 ber of the same illustrious family at Monteluma. 
 
 " There was a chain of rose-colored coral, to 
 which was attached an enormous pearl of the same 
 delicate hue ; this bauble had been bestowed by the 
 Doge of Genoa upon Don Arven Rozarro while 
 the latter was ambassador of Spain at that superb 
 though decaying city, and it was through this ele- 
 
THE OVEELAND JOURNEY. 43 
 
 gant gift that the then all-powerful Spanish sword 
 was induced to interpose its terrible edge as a shield 
 against the aggressions of France. 
 
 "A pair of golden spurs, won long ago in the 
 first Crusade by the Knight of Rozarro, and ropes 
 of pearls that had adorned many a proud but long 
 forgotten mistress of the great castle. 
 
 "All these were placed within the steel casket, and 
 the only jewel that Ivarene reserved for her personal 
 use on the journey was a locket with a long gold chain. 
 This was the most precious souvenir in the whole 
 collection, so she averred, for it was set in gems 
 with the name of her mother, and contained the 
 miniature portraits of Bruce and Ivarene. 
 
 " The precious casket was kept in the large car 
 riage, where Ivarene, her two maids, and Bruce 
 rode on cushioned seats, that were constructed' so 
 as to serve as couches when the inmates of the ve 
 hicle became fatigued. Everything that wealth 
 and loving care could secure was provided by Bruce 
 to lessen the tedium of the journey. 
 
 " The gold was placed in a large, strong wagon, 
 drawn by twelve mules, and in addition to the 
 treasure-cask, several barrels of wine and other 
 liquors were placed in the wagon for the purpose of 
 warding off suspicion. This vehicle was my special 
 charge, and I carefully guarded it at night, but 
 spent a portion of the day in sleep. 
 
 " We arrived in Santa Fe in the fall of 1848, 
 and early the following spring our long caravan 
 started o\it.on the monotonous course across the 
 plains, by the route to Independence, Missouri, the 
 
44 THE OVERLAND JOURNEY. 
 
 quiet routine of our journey only relieved by meet 
 ing with great trains of freighters on the broad 
 trail, or when Ivarene would take her guitar and 
 sit out in the starry evening playing the sweet airs 
 of her home-land, old Spanish ballads full of pathos 
 and melody. Thus we journeyed until we reached 
 this very spot on the 22d of August, 1849. The 
 night was dark and cloudy, while a strange silence 
 brooded over all nature, broken only by the dismal 
 howl of the wolf as it prowled on the lonely hills. 
 
 "We had remarked during the day that no 
 teams were met a most unusual occurrence on that 
 great thoroughfare, the Santa Fe Trail and we 
 vaguely wondered why the corral should be silent 
 and deserted; for it was a camping place that was 
 reji owned all along the trail for its safety and 
 convenience. 
 
 " The corral was an inclosure of about an acre, 
 surrounded by lofty stone walls that were pierced 
 by loop-holes on every side; two large doors, or 
 gates, opened to the north and south, which, after 
 the teams of freighters had been drawn inside, were 
 locked in times of danger. This fort-like corral 
 had been built by the government as a place of 
 refuge for travelers, but our long journey had been 
 so free from trouble that we had become careless, 
 and, as the night was very sultry and the air op 
 pressive, we preferred camping outside the walls 
 on the level land, where w r e are now sitting, near 
 the bank of the Cottonwood. 
 
 " Ivarene had been feeling unwell that day, and 
 we were all very solicitous for her comfort and 
 
A DARK TRAGEDY. 45 
 
 welfare at that time ; for it was known that an in 
 teresting event would soon occur, that would give 
 my dear friend Bruce the title of father. In defer 
 ence to her condition the usual noise and hilarity 
 of the camp were not indulged in ; but a sense of 
 coming disaster, a foreboding of some great calamity, 
 seemed to weigh on the spirits of our party on that 
 fatal evening. 
 
 " How strange it is that when the sky is serene 
 and clear we may feel the approaching storm! 
 Who can explain that shock of repulsion we feel 
 when we meet a secret foe ? The same Providence 
 whispered, that murky night, of the danger and 
 disaster lurking near. 
 
 " But each one tried to shake off the feeling of 
 apprehension ; and as a storm was rising in the 
 north-west we attributed our depression to that 
 state of the atmosphere which precedes the thunder 
 storm. 
 
 " I did not sleep for several hours after retiring 
 to the wagon, but remained wakeful and restless, 
 listening to the jabbering of the wolves and rumble 
 of the distant thunder. The fitful slumber into 
 which I at length fell was pervaded by hideous 
 dreams, and when I was awakened by the yell of 
 savages it seemed, for a moment, only the contin 
 uation of the strange phantasms that had haunted 
 my sleep. 
 
 "But I sprang out, a pistol in each hand, and 
 was soon struggling in the whirlpool of confusion 
 and terror that prevailed around. The crack of 
 rifles and whistling of arrows, the shrieks of the 
 
46 A DARK TRAGEDY. 
 
 wounded and dying, the blood-chilling whoops of 
 the Indians, all commingled with the bellowing of 
 the frightened cattle in hideous clamor. 
 
 " With a feeling of sickening dread I thought 
 of Bruce and his wife as I dashed toward their 
 wagon. As I neared it a vivid flash of lightning 
 from the cloud which had arisen revealed a scene 
 of such revolting horror that its remembrance 
 causes me yet to turn faint and dizzy. More 
 than a quarter of a century has rolled by, fraught 
 with war and sorrow, but that scene of woe is 
 burned deep within my heart, to rankle long as life 
 endures." 
 
 Here the colonel's voice broke to a whisper, 
 while the sobs of Maud and Grace mingled with 
 their mother's soft weeping. Then, after a moment 
 of silent anguish, while his hands hung clenched in 
 an agony of intense grief, with bowed head and 
 a voice so husky that it was barely audible, the 
 colonel continued : 
 
 " By the dazzling light I saw Ivarene kneeling 
 in her white robe, a look of imploring agony upon 
 her pale, uplifted face. Over her, with a poised 
 tomahawk, glared a powerful, painted demon. 
 Bruce, struggling in the grasp of two hideous sav 
 ages, was driving his glittering dirk into the breast 
 of one of his assailants. I fired at the heart of the 
 wretch who stood over Ivarene. With a dying yell 
 he bounded into the air. Then, as darkness was 
 once again settling down over the scene, I felt the 
 shock of a stunning blow then a long oblivion." 
 
 The colonel was too visibly affected to proceed 
 
A DARK TEAGEDY. 47 
 
 further with the narrative, and as he relapsed into 
 silence the listeners slowly dispersed, some to the 
 duties of camp-life ; others strolled out to the long, 
 grass-grown grave, leaving Colonel Warlow alone, 
 lost in meditation. 
 
48 A DARK TRAGEDY. 
 
 Chapter IV. 
 
 COLONEL WARLOW'S STO Ft Y CONTINUED. 
 
 / T V HE listeners had seated themselves on the 
 JL buffalo-robes which Scott Moreland's thought- 
 fulness had provided, and the colonel resumed the 
 thread of his narrative. 
 
 " The blow was followed by unconsciousness, and 
 when I awoke, as it were, from a long and fevered 
 sleep, I was seated in an easy-chair on a shaded ve 
 randa, and before me stretched the limitless ocean, 
 its restless waves purling in foam on the sandy 
 beach at my feet. Beside the porch on which I was 
 seated grew luxuriant lime and orange trees, loaded 
 with fruit and bloom, and the air was heavy with 
 the sensuous odors of tropical flowers. 
 
 "A ray of memory gleamed feebly across my 
 confused and cloudy mind, and I vaguely wondered 
 why my hands should be so wasted and thin. Then 
 a wavering sensation swept over my mental facul 
 ties like a dark cloud. The glimmer of memory 
 once again struggled and flickered, then flashed 
 forth with a dazzling light, piercing through the 
 fog and haze which had so long obscured the light 
 of reason, and I felt as if the sun had just arisen. 
 
 " As I sat with closed eyes, gently rocking to 
 and fro, I remembered dimly, like some half-forgot- 
 
LOS ANGELES. 49 
 
 ten dream, my long journey across the continent with 
 Walraven, our camping beside the Kansas stream 
 at the Stone Corral ; and then with surprise I looked 
 out on the ocean before me. Suddenly the memory 
 of that night of horror came vividly to my mind, 
 and with a loud cry I sprang to my feet ; but a firm 
 hand was laid on my shoulder, and a kind voice 
 requested me to be calm, and pressed me to drink 
 the glass of wine which was held to my lips. 
 
 " I obeyed mechanically, and as I drained the 
 cup of its sparkling contents I glanced up at the 
 bronzed though handsome stranger beside me, who, 
 with joy and gratification beaming in his blue eyes, 
 said in answer to my look of inquiry : 
 
 " ' Old boy, you will soon be yourself again ; 
 but you must not talk too much, nor ask questions 
 just now.' 
 
 " ' But where am I, and what does it all mean ?' 
 I exclaimed in a dazed sort of way. 
 
 " l You are near Los Angeles, and this is the 
 Pacific Ocean which lies before you/ he answered 
 slowly. 
 
 " When he had made this strange statement, I 
 felt a wavering sensation once more cross my brain, 
 as if madness were about to seize me. 
 
 " ' You should not talk, nor think of the past/ 
 said he anxiously, ' but brace up and recover ; then 
 we will go up to the mines, and dig *out nuggets 
 like nigger-heads/ 
 
 " ' But at least tell me how I came here/ I 
 entreated. 
 
 " ( Well/ said he in a faltering manner, ' if you 
 5 
 
50 A FRIEND IN NEED. 
 
 will be composed I will do so; but you must not 
 give way to your emotions.' 
 
 " I sank back in the chair, motioning for him to 
 proceed, as the suspense was unbearable ; and he 
 then related the following, in soothing tones, like 
 one who had long humored and tenderly nursed a 
 suffering invalid : 
 
 " My name is Roger [Coble, and my home is 
 near Springfield, 111., from which place I started to 
 the gold-fields of the Sacramento River, which had 
 thrown our quiet rural community into a great ex 
 citement by the rumor of their fabulous richness. 
 Our train had only traveled a few days' drive west 
 ward from the Missouri, when we came to the Stone 
 Corral on the bank of the Cottonwood. There we 
 found you, wounded and delirious. I placed you on 
 a canvas bed in one of my wagons, and brought you 
 on to Santa Fe. 
 
 " 'As you were still delirious and in a helpless 
 condition, I could not bear the thought of leaving 
 you at the latter place, but brought you along with 
 the train to this place, where we arrived last week, 
 and I am overjoyed to see you on your feet again.' 
 
 " ' But what was the fate of Walraven and his 
 wife?' I cried, in great excitement. 
 
 " Seeing the wild look again coming into my 
 eyes, he said, with a saddened expression : 
 
 " ' Do not ask any more questions, my boy. 
 When you become stronger I will tell you all. 
 But now, my friend, do try to think of pleasanter 
 themes. If you do not, you will surely relapse into 
 your former deplorable state.' 
 
A FRIEND IN NEED. 51 
 
 "Therefore I took his kindly advice, and ig 
 nored the past with all its bitter memories, and 
 listened with growing interest to his hopeful plans 
 for the future. As he told of the great gold-fields 
 that had been discovered in the newly acquired 
 California, that were of such fabulous richness, he 
 said, that all the world was wild with excitement 
 and wonder, I began to feel the infection of his 
 enthusiasm, and almost forgot the fact that I was 
 penniless and two thousand miles from home. 
 
 "The next day I felt still stronger; but the 
 ugly wound on my head was not yet entirely healed, 
 being a painful reminder of the terrible blow which 
 I had received the night of the attack at the corral. 
 
 "As the days passed by I rapidly convalesced, 
 and erelong was able to walk through the orange- 
 groves, or sail with Roger out on the tranquil 
 water; but whenever I had nerved myself up to 
 the point of asking the fate of my friends, to my 
 horror I would find that same old sickening, wa 
 vering sensation steal over my brain that I remem 
 bered so well, and I would shudder to think that 
 I stood, as it were, upon the brink of madness. 
 
 " So in our long rambles on the sea-shore or 
 drives on the beach, we shunned all allusion to the 
 fateful past, tacitly ignoring the unexplained sequel 
 to that terrible tragedy ; but the suspense and strain 
 were so great that it is a blissful thing that events 
 followed which diverted my mind from the painful 
 subject, or perhaps my reason may have been ut 
 terly overthrown^ 
 
 " Roger had disposed of his teams, and, after 
 
52 A FRIEND IN NEED. 
 
 consulting me, procured tickets to San Francisco, a 
 small village that had sprung up on the coast to the 
 north, and as he gave me my ticket he said with a 
 smile : 
 
 "'We will be pards, George, and divide profit 
 and loss up in the mines, and when you strike it 
 " rich," why, you can repay me ; and as for inter 
 est guess we will smoke that out at your expense/ 
 " I replied, through my tears, that all the gold 
 of this earth could not repay his kindness and 
 generosity. 
 
 "Before sailing on the Lapwing I wrote to my 
 friends in Missouri, telling them briefly of the dis 
 aster which had befallen me, but that I was with 
 the best fellow alive; and in my letter to sister 
 Amy I told her how nobly Roger had cared for me 
 in my direst hour of trial and need, and I hinted 
 that she must wait for me to bring him back, which 
 I would do when I had regained my lost fortune by 
 working in the mines, to which we were now just 
 starting, full of hope and enthusiasm. 
 
 "Our first day out on the Pacific proved that 
 body of water to be woefully misnamed indeed; 
 for the weather was just as vile and fickle as I 
 ever saw on the much maligned Atlantic. In the 
 evening Roger and myself were seated on deck, 
 watching the sun set in a pile of black clouds, 
 which, as the broad streams of amber and violet 
 flamed up from behind the sombre mass, slowly 
 changed to purple, rose, and crimson, edged with 
 gold. 
 
 "When the brilliant hues had faded, the dusky 
 
A STORM ON THE PACIFIC. 53 
 
 clouds rested on a sullen sea, that was only ruf 
 fled by the fitful breeze, which rose and fell, then 
 died away, leaving a death-like calm, oppressive 
 as it was foreboding. 
 
 " The frightened sea-birds flew screaming by, 
 flapping their broad white wings, then fading 
 swiftly away. The captain now came on deck, 
 and, by his quick orders and restless movements, 
 we knew that he anticipated danger from the storm 
 which we could see rapidly rising, and the rigging 
 was soon in order to meet the heavy gale. 
 
 "A fiery moon rose in the pale eastern sky, and 
 out to the south-west hung the bow-shaped cloud, 
 black as ebony, save when veined by the blood-red 
 lightning; but as the majestic mass towered to the 
 zenith, it changed to green, edged by a roll of 
 fleecy white, which rose and fell as if weaving a 
 shroud for sea and sky. 
 
 " We lashed ourselves to the rigging, so we could 
 get the full benefit, as Roger said, of our first storm 
 at sea. We had not long to wait, for soon a wall 
 of waves, like a troop of war-horses, came tossing 
 their snowy manes on the gale, and when the mad 
 surge struck us the old ship quivered in every tim 
 ber. The clouds wrapped us about, and the blind 
 ing spray and rain drenched the deck ; the lightning 
 glimmered fitfully through the mist, or hissed in 
 zigzag streams of molten gold along the surging 
 waves. A lull, then again the blinding flash, fol 
 lowed by the bellowing thunder, crashing down, it 
 seemed, to the caverns beneath, the wind shrieking 
 through the rigging, the tumult of waves, rising in 
 
54 A STOKM ON THE PACIFIC. 
 
 hoarse clamor and deafening roar followed again 
 by blinding stroke and maddening crash. 
 
 " I have stood on old Chapultepec's crumbling 
 wall, when mortar and cannon hurled their iron 
 hail ; when screaming shells and belching roar min 
 gled with the shrieks of mangled and dying men, 
 and the sullen boom of exploding mines shocked 
 and dulled the ear; but never had I known an 
 hour like this. 
 
 " The poor old vessel, like a hunted doe, bounded 
 away, followed by all the hounds of the gale, climb 
 ing the dizzy cliff or leaping the yawning chasm, 
 and throwing the foam from off her sides; then 
 hiding in the gorges below, where the glassy wall 
 towered far above with combing crest, scattering 
 the spray out over the tossing sea. Again, as the 
 ship climbed the watery hill, she seemed to pause 
 one brief moment on the foamy height, then plunged 
 into the swishing whirlpool beneath. 
 
 " The night wore on, yet still our vessel stag 
 gered along in her wild flight; but the winds began 
 to abate their fury somewhat, and the flashes grew 
 more dim and fitful until the storm rolled away to 
 the east. Then the moon peered with white face 
 through the rift of clouds ; but as her spectral light 
 only served to make more weird and appalling the 
 waste of heaving billows, she quickly hid behind 
 her fleecy veil, as if to shut the wild scene from 
 view. 
 
 " Although the wind had died to a gentle gale, 
 the frightened waves still galloped madly along as 
 though fleeing from a grizzly horror they dared not 
 
SHIPWEECK. 55 
 
 face, and the ship labored like some jaded cavalry 
 horse, that staggers and reels after the fierce charge. 
 
 " The deck had been a scene of great confusion 
 ever since the storm had abated, and, although the 
 waves and spray broke over the vessel, the crew 
 were rushing about wildly, and to our surprise we 
 saw them launching the boats; so we unlashed our 
 selves and hurried forward only to hear the de 
 spairing cry : ' The vessel is sinking I' 
 
 " I looked out upon the waves, which even now 
 seemed nearer, and with a clammy shudder compre 
 hended what horror they were fleeing. Death rode 
 those cold waters, and every billow was a yawning 
 grave. 
 
 " What a dread alternative to cast ourselves 
 out on that boiling, foaming sea, with only a frail 
 boat between us and eternity, or remain on deck 
 and feel the ship slowly settling under us! 
 
 " But the boats were quickly manned, and into 
 them were thrown a few casks of spirits and water, 
 with a small quantity of food; then we pushed off 
 from the fast-sinking ship, and in a moment were 
 riding the waves. 
 
 " We had left a light burning on the vessel, to 
 enable us to steer away from it, and thus avoid being 
 run down or ingulfed by the final whirlpool of the 
 wreck; and after tossing about on the troubled 
 waters for half an hour, trying to keep the boats 
 together, we heard a loud report, caused by the com 
 pressed air blowing up the deck of the vessel ; then 
 the light on the old ship went out forever, and the 
 sea closed over her shattered form. 
 
56 UXDER THE WAVES. 
 
 " It may have been an hour before dawn, when 
 suddenly we found ourselves among the breakers, and 
 the coast looming dimly through the mist. Before 
 we had time to realize our situation our boat was 
 capsized and we were struggling with the waves. 
 
 " I shouted to Roger, but no answer. Then I saw 
 a head appear above the water, and swam toward it, 
 hoping it was he ; but the form was carried around 
 the headland by the rapid current, so I struck out 
 for the frowning cliff. 
 
 " Diving under the largest waves, I saw, to my 
 great joy, that I was gaining and soon was thrown 
 on the rocks with terrible force ; but I lost my hold 
 on the stony ledge that I had clutched, and was being 
 carried back to sea ; but a thought struck me which 
 I instantly recognized as being the only chance of es 
 cape, and to which I am certain I owe the preservation 
 of my life : I dived to the bottom, and began walk 
 ing toward the cliff, which was not more than a 
 rod away. 
 
 " Oh, the horror and agony of those few mo 
 ments under the sea ! The seconds seemed to 
 lengthen to hours. Brief as the time and short as 
 the distance may have been, 1 7 ve traveled many a 
 thousand miles through the sandy deserts of the 
 West and suffered less than in that one minute at 
 the bottom of the ocean." 
 
ALONE. 57 
 
 Chapter V. 
 
 WARLOW'S STORY CONTINUED. 
 
 "T ET me see where was I?" said the colonel, 
 -L/ who had paused to light his pipe at this crit 
 ical juncture of the narrative. 
 
 "Twenty thousand leagues under the sea," re 
 plied Grace Moreland, gaily. 
 
 " Well, I certainly could not have suffered more 
 in the same time if I had been," said he with a 
 grim smile. " But just when I had given up all 
 hope, and thought my lungs would burst, I 
 straightened up, determined to come to the surface 
 at any risk. Lo ! I had been groping along in four 
 feet of water and only a step from the shore! 
 
 " I had only time to plunge forward and clutch 
 a jagged rock, when a mighty wave swept in, nearly 
 tearing me from my place; but this time I held 
 fast, and when the wave had receded I clambered up 
 out of further danger, and there I lay, too utterly 
 exhausted to move until dawn. 
 
 " I had hoped that daylight would reveal the 
 presence of my companion; but the sun struggled 
 up over a lone stretch of rocky, barren shore 
 nothing living was visible. I strained my eyes, 
 gazing out over the long line of breakers. It was 
 a fruitless quest ; I was alone. 
 
 " Then I climbed up to the table-land. A sandy 
 6 
 
58 THE CASTAWAY. 
 
 plain, broken by patches of sage-brush and thickets 
 of chapparal was before me, and out toward the 
 rising sun rose a lofty chain of mountains, as though 
 to shut me out from all the world. 
 
 u I walked around the promontory and along 
 the coast for several miles, still hoping I might find 
 my friend ; in vain. I shouted repeatedly ; no 
 answer. So with a heavy heart I turned and walked 
 inland. 
 
 "After assuaging my thirst at a cavity in the 
 rocks, where the rain-water had collected, and 
 satisfying my hunger with the eggs of a wild fowl, 
 the nest of which I found near a sage-brush, I con 
 tinued my explorations inland toward a pass which 
 seemed to open in the mountains toward the east. 
 
 "As I neared the glen, trees, a brook, and a 
 flock of sheep became visible. Then, to my great 
 delight, a house showed through the trees ; and 
 when a woman appeared in the doorway, I hurried 
 forward and addressed her in Spanish, to which she 
 replied in the same tongue. 
 
 " I told my story of shipwreck, and the kind- 
 hearted peasant woman bade me welcome to the 
 humble dwelling, and proceeded to set before me 
 a repast of omelet and frijoles. While I was still 
 seated at the table, her husband, Pedro, came in 
 from herding his flock, and we soon were on our 
 way to the village to make inquiries regarding my 
 lost friend and the crew of the Lapvnng. But 
 nothing could be learned of them; so I retired to 
 rest, and that night slept the dreamless sleep of 
 sheer exhaustion. 
 
THE GOLDEN GATE TO " HOME, SWEET HOME." 59 
 
 " In the morning I renewed the search, but with 
 no better results; and although I traveled along 
 the coast for more than a score of miles, nothing 
 could be found but the bodies of three sailors that 
 I recognized as having been among the crew of the 
 ill-fated ship. At last, weary and heart-sore, I 
 joined a party of miners, and proceeded to San 
 Francisco ; but as my inquiries there also proved 
 fruitless, I immediately went to the diggings, where 
 my fortunes soon mended, and I was able to send 
 a small purse to honest Pedro. 
 
 " During my stay in the mines I had frequent 
 letters from home, and sister Amy expressed great 
 sorrow at the fate of my noble friend Roger ; but I 
 wrote that it might yet be possible he was living, 
 and we still hoped on. The greatest comfort to 
 me, however, were the letters from Mary, who 
 urged me to return and not wait to acquire more 
 gold ; and as my luck was ' jes powerful/ as the 
 miners averred, I found at the end of two years I 
 had saved $50,000, and deciding to ' let well-enough 
 alone/ set sail for home. 
 
 "As we were sailing out through the now world- 
 renowned Golden Gate, the captain, to whom I had 
 just intrusted my money, remarked that I did not 
 seem to enter into the spirit of joy that pervaded 
 the throng of returning miners ; and in reply to his 
 look of inquiry and tone of interest, I said that the 
 last time I was on a ship I had witnessed a terrible 
 storm, in which the vessel was wrecked, the crew 
 and a dear, kind friend were lost, and I alone was 
 saved ; and now the sight of the ocean, once again, 
 
60 ACAPULCO. 
 
 recalled it all so vividly that I was sad and grieved, 
 even in the hour when I should rejoice that all my 
 toil was' over. I was too affected to talk further, 
 but looked wistfully out over the cruel sea that 
 had closed over Roger, my best and truest friend. 
 
 " The captain, after a few moments of silence, 
 asked in a tone of sympathy : 
 
 " e What was the name of the vessel that was 
 wrecked ?' 
 
 " ' The Lapwing,' I replied. 
 
 " ' But the crew and passengers were saved/ 
 said he quickly. 
 
 " ' Saved ! Roger saved P I shouted, dizzy with 
 joy ; then as I sank into a seat, weak and unnerved, 
 the officer continued : 
 
 " * Yes, the crew was saved. They were picked 
 up by a vessel bound for Acapulco. You can learn 
 the particulars by calling on the American consul 
 at that port, as I believe he took charge of them 
 and assisted them on to their respective destinations/ 
 
 "'I'll give you a thousand gold dollars to put 
 me off at Acapulco/ I cried impulsively. 
 
 " 'Agreed/ said he, with a laugh. ' We always 
 do stop there, and take a day to revictual and 
 water. No, my friend, keep your hard-earned dol 
 lars ; but if you find your gratitude burdensome, 
 why, just name your next boy after me/ then he 
 left me with a good-natured smile. 
 
 " I will say that I found it a very pleasant way 
 of discharging the debt by naming my oldest son 
 here after the good old sea-dog, Captain Clifford; 
 and some way I always associate the name with 
 
ACAPULCO. 61 
 
 the thought of that day when I heard the good 
 news. 
 
 " How interminable seemed the long, bright 
 days, as we sailed southward ! I paced the deck 
 for hours, and grew morose and nervous, chafing 
 under the slowness of the stout craft. ' But all 
 things have an end' an adage, by the way, which 
 my dealings and travel in the tropics has led' me to 
 doubt and when, one evening, we sailed into the 
 long-wished for harbor, I was so impatient to land 
 that only the thought of sharks prevented me from 
 swimming ashore. 
 
 "After night-fall, however, I found myself in a 
 crooked, winding alley, termed a street in the florid 
 courtesy of that tropic land, and offering a coin to 
 a villainous-looking native the only guide I could 
 procure asked him to show me the way to the 
 American consulate; and we were soon en route 
 thitherward, I, meanwhile, taking the precaution to 
 cover my vile-looking guide with a pistol in one 
 hand and a bowie-knife in the other. 
 
 " For an age, it seemed, we tramped through the 
 murky, unlighted streets, until at last we arrived 
 before a fortress-like building, at the gate of which 
 blinked one solitary lamp. 
 
 "At my request to see the consul, the servant 
 informed me that ' his worshipful master had driven 
 out this morning to dine with the noble Don Pablo 
 de Zorilla, and that he would remain to the ball at 
 the mansion of that illustrious sen or/ etc. 
 
 " I could barely refrain from kicking the miser 
 able flunky, and the air grew thick and maroon 
 
62 ROGER. 
 
 with the expressions in which my disappointment 
 found utterance. Telling the porter that I hoped 
 his lazy master would not stop the ' wheels of com 
 merce' to-morrow to eat garlic and capsicum with 
 the aristocracy, I returned to the vessel. 
 
 " Next morning I called again at the consulate, 
 and the scowling porter, after conducting me to a 
 room, said that his master was sleeping, but he was 
 instructed to say ( to the insolent American ' that* his 
 excellency ' was too lazy to see me until he had slept 
 off the effect of the garlic, capsicum, and other 
 kindred delicacies, of which he had been partaking.' 
 Then, grinning derisively, the servant left the room, 
 banging the door behind him. 
 
 " Well, I just stormed up and down that room for 
 two long hours, fuming, raving, and hurling invec 
 tives at all the tribe of official sluggards. At length, 
 hearing footsteps without, I clenched my hands in 
 rage, vowing wrath and vengeance on the insulting 
 and self-sufficient officer; but when the servant 
 opened the door and announced, 'Senor Consul,' my 
 anger was all forgotten, and, instead of greeting that 
 functionary with a thwack on the ear, I sprang for 
 ward with a wild cry : 
 
 " i Roger Oh, Roger am I dreaming ?' 
 
 " ( George George is it possible ? Alive and 
 well ? I 've mourned you as dead for years. Thank 
 Godat last !' 
 
 "As I stood there wringing his hand and gazing 
 on his dear face through my tears, it is needless to 
 say all my belligerent designs oozed magically away. 
 
 "We were soon interrupted, however, by the 
 
ROGEK. 63 
 
 porter, who, at the first strange demonstration on 
 my part, had fled shrieking ' Murder! murder I' his 
 outcry bringing a whole brood of slipshod servants 
 down upon my devoted head. They came swarming 
 in, armed with gridirons, tongs, and gourds. One 
 sallow, emaciated peon carried a crucifix, which he 
 had evidently snatched as he flew to the rescue. A 
 burly fellow was jut on the eve of disemboweling 
 me with a pot-metal poniard, when Roger hastened 
 to explain that we were old friends who had not 
 met for years, and as they retreated in a crestfallen 
 manner, with many grunts and shrugs, we both 
 smiled at the ludicrous phase of our meeting ; yes, 
 I believe that ' smiled ' is a very mild term to apply 
 to our hilarity on that occasion. 
 
 " Reminding Roger that the vessel sailed at 
 four P. M., and my stay therefore was limited, I 
 begged him to tell me the particulars of his happy 
 escape, and when we were comfortably seated on 
 the easy-chairs in the secluded court, he told briefly 
 how he, with several others, clung to the capsized 
 boat, and had been rescued by a passing vessel, 
 bound southward. On reaching Acapulco he had 
 called at the American consulate, but found the 
 consul prostrated with yellow-fever, and (as Roger 
 had passed through an attack of that dread scourge 
 at New Orleans a few years previous to this) he 
 had volunteered to nurse the stricken officer, who 
 slowly recovered from the fearful malady. 
 
 "While that grateful invalid was convalescing, 
 Roger had been intrusted with the accumulated 
 business of the post. Having discharged the duties 
 
64 ROGER. 
 
 devolving on him to the satisfaction of his employer, 
 that gentleman had deputized him as vice-consul, 
 and then returned to the States. 
 
 " " Finally the consul resigned, and Roger, on his 
 recommendation, was appointed to the office as his 
 successor, meantime receiving a hint from the home 
 government to make himself as agreeable as possible 
 to the natives. 
 
 " ' Which you see, George/ said he with a merry 
 smile, l meant to acquire a taste for " garlic and 
 capsicum." 
 
 " Then, at his request, I related my experience ; 
 how I had searched in vain for him along the coast ; 
 had gone to the mines and made my ' pile/ and on 
 embarking for home had learned of the rescue of 
 the crew and passengers of the Lapwing ; the long 
 days of suspense that had followed, and my impa 
 tience to learn something of his fate. I did not 
 omit telling how narrowly he escaped a sound flog 
 ging at my hands after I had been kept waiting so 
 long, which caused him great merriment. 
 
 " During our brief conversation I had been con 
 scious of an undercurrent of burning anxiety to 
 learn the fate of Bruce Walraven and his wife. 
 The suspense and uncertainty which had haunted 
 me for two long years the mystery of their fate 
 would now vanish forever, I knew; but I shrank 
 with a strange foreboding from asking the truth 
 which my heart had so long been vainly seeking. 
 My dry lips and parched tongue could only feebly 
 articulate as I begged Roger to tell me the sequel 
 of that terrible tragedy at the Old Corral. 
 
ROGER. 65 
 
 " With a look of pain on his handsome face, he 
 said, in a faltering voice: 
 
 " i I was journeying along on the Santa Fe Trail 
 from Independence, Missouri, to California. Our 
 large train had been delayed at Council Grove by 
 a rumor that the Cheyennes were on the war-path ; 
 but nothing having been seen of the marauders, we 
 started out, after a few days, trusting to our num 
 bers for defense, and when we arrived at the Stone 
 Corral, on the bank of the Cottonwood, a scene of 
 revolting horror met our startled sight a scene 
 that will live forever in my memory. 
 
 " ' The stone walls of the corral had been hurled 
 down, and near the side of the stream were the 
 charred and crisped remains of at least fifty human 
 victims, mingled with the irons of the wagons, 
 which evidently had been fired and the bodies 
 thrown into the blaze/ 
 
 " ' There were fifty-four persons in our train- 
 How many bodies were found ?' I asked, breath 
 lessly. 
 
 " ' We counted the smouldering skeletons, and 
 found that fifty-three persons had fallen victims to 
 the diabolical fury of the Indians/ 
 
 " ' Oh, God all gone !' I cried, hoarse with the 
 misery of their certain destruction ' gallant Bruce 
 and beautiful, kind Ivarene ! What a terrible fate !' 
 
 " ' We were burying the skeletons on a knoll a 
 few hundred paces westward from the Old Corral/ 
 continued Roger, f and were carrying stone from 
 the confused mass of its ruined wall to place about 
 the long trench, in which the remains were laid, 
 
66 ROGER. 
 
 when moans, like some one in pain, were heard as 
 if issuing from the earth. 
 
 " ' The mournful scene through which we had 
 just passed had so utterly shocked and unnerved 
 us, that it is little wonder we felt it might be the 
 spectres of the victims still haunting the scene of 
 the awful tragedy ; but a moment's reflection set us 
 to searching among the ruins, which resulted in 
 our finding you, wounded and delirious, buried 
 under the fallen wall. 
 
 " t Several large stones had rested against the 
 lower part of the wall, and thus, in a providential 
 manner, shielded you from the avalanche of stone 
 which had fallen when the savages had thrown 
 down the wall by prying with the w T agon tongues, 
 that were still lying about as they had left them. 
 
 " ' We placed you on a canvas stretcher, and put 
 you in one of my wagons. As there was a phy 
 sician in our train, you did not lack for medical 
 attention ; but that dreadful gash on your head was 
 very slow in healing. As your mind was completely 
 shattered, and you remained delirious all the long 
 journey to Santa Fe, we could not bear the thought 
 of leaving you there among strangers, but brought 
 you on to Los Angeles with the train/ 
 
 " ' I never before have told you, Roger, that 
 there was more than one hundred thousand dollars 
 in gold and gems with our train ; but such was the 
 case ;' and as he sprang up in amazement, I told 
 him briefly the history of Bruce and Ivarene, and 
 how I had lost my fortune of fifty thousand dollars 
 
ROGEK. 67 
 
 in gold with that of my dear friends on that night 
 of horror and despair. 
 
 " ' It is needless to say/ replied Boger, ' that no 
 trace of the treasure was found ; but it seems in 
 credible that so vast a sum could have been carried 
 away by the savages! Did you have any liquor 
 with the train ?' he asked in a thoughtful manner. 
 
 " ' Yes, several barrels of wine and brandy/ I 
 answered. 
 
 " ' Then that accounts for the blood on the 
 grass, near several newly made graves close by. 
 The Indians had found the brandy, no do"ubt, and 
 the massacre ended in a drunken row among them 
 selves, in which several of them had died a violent 
 death. It is a mystery, though/ he added, ( how a 
 pack of drunken, wrangling savages could have 
 divided such an amount of coin without leaving 
 some trace. And, George, I would advise you to 
 make a systematic search on your return/ he con 
 tinued ; ' for it may have been that the treasure was 
 buried there.' ' 
 
 " Did you ever make the search ?" asked Clifford 
 Warlow of his father, in an eager tone. 
 
 " No ; certainly not/' replied the colonel ; " it 
 would have been folly to suppose that the band of 
 pilfering, murderous savages would have left any 
 thing valuable behind." 
 
 But the answer did not satisfy his son, who 
 looked out toward the knoll where the Old Corral, 
 with its broken walls, cast long shadows in the 
 slanting sunbeams; and as the colonel proceeded 
 with his story it was noticed, by more than one of 
 
68 ROGER. 
 
 the group, that Sabbath afternoon, that Clifford re 
 mained lost in thought, and his eyes roamed from 
 the speaker out over the scene of that tragedy of 
 bygone years. 
 
 "At the end of that mournful story," pursued 
 the colonel, " I was pressed by Roger to remain 
 with him until the next vessel passed; but I de 
 clined, thanking him, and telling him that Mary 
 was waiting for me on the banks of the Missouri, 
 and I could tarry no longer than a few brief hours, 
 until the craft would sail. Then, as we stood on 
 the ship, whither he had accompanied me, I told 
 him to remain in the cabin for a moment until I 
 could return. Then going to the captain, I asked 
 him for the money which I had deposited with him. 
 
 " The fifty thousand dollars was carried into the 
 room where Roger was waiting, and when the 
 sailors had retired, I said, in answer to his look of 
 inquiry, that I was prepared to execute the com 
 pact w T hich we entered into at Los Angeles, to be 
 'pards/ and divide profit and loss; and I tendered 
 him there on the spot twenty-five thousand dollars, 
 which was one-half of my savings in the mines. 
 Roger would not hear to the proposition ; he scouted 
 the idea of ' robbing me of my hard earnings/ and 
 all my pleadings were in vain, he was obdurate. 
 
 " I reminded him how I owed my life to his 
 care and kindness ; but my entreaties all were un 
 availing, as he would only ridicule the offer, saying 
 that he had now more than enough for an old 
 bachelor. So I finally desisted, but told him that 
 should he ever need assistance or the services of a 
 
THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 69 
 
 friend, to call on me, for I felt a debt of gratitude 
 which I could never repay him. 
 
 " I smile even yet to think how I blushed when 
 I showed him Mary's picture; and while he was 
 looking with undisguised admiration at the minia 
 ture of sister Amy, I told him how she had never 
 ceased to regret his sad fate, and that in her last 
 letter, which I handed him, she had written that 
 she still vaguely hoped he might some time return ; 
 that he may have escaped ' such things sometimes 
 do occur and she could yet thank him for his care 
 and tenderness to her brother/ When the dear 
 fellow beamed with such delight, I proceeded to 
 say how delighted she and my mother would be to 
 have him make us a long visit soon, which he 
 readily promised to do within the year. As he still 
 held the picture of my beautiful sister, and seemed 
 so reluctant to surrender it, I ignored it entirely or 
 pretended to do so, and as we proceeded with our 
 talk, I saw, with half an eye, that he furtively 
 slipped it into his pocket, at which I was so grati 
 fied, I had to pinch myself to keep from dancing a 
 jig of delight. 
 
 " It was hard indeed to part with Roger, and 
 not before he again promised to visit me within a 
 year did I say farewell ; then we were again sailing 
 out on our homeward voyage. We tarried but a 
 short time on the Isthmus of Panama ; for, in fact, 
 I had but an indifferent opinion of that little neck 
 of land, made up, it seemed, of snakes, centipedes, 
 and bad smells. Whew ! it makes me faint, even 
 yet, to remember how those nasty, vile, old swamps 
 
70 . THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 
 
 radiated their bad odors! There had just been an 
 earthquake to roil up the concentrated filth which 
 was packed away in those slimy bayous, and as every 
 whiff of wind came loaded with its own peculiar 
 stench, the variety became so wearying that I grew 
 at length tired of the ' nasal panorama/ and vainly 
 yearned for the friendly precincts of a glue factory. 
 " It always seemed to me that Nature had aimed 
 to make a sea of the isthmus, but had taken the 
 flux or cholera, and left her work but half com 
 pleted." 
 
THE TROPICAL GROVES OF CUBA. 71 
 
 Chapter VI. 
 
 COLONEL \VARLOW'S STORY CONTINUED. 
 
 ship touched at Havana, and in com- 
 pany with several other passengers, who 
 lived in the Mississippi Valley, I decided to stop 
 here until a vessel sailed for New Orleans, which 
 would not occur for ten days yet ; but years might 
 be passed in that beautiful city of enchantment, the 
 ' Queen of the Antilles,' and we found our stay one 
 round of perpetual delight. 
 
 "A day was devoted to a sail around the sunlit 
 harbor, environed by mansions, castles, and palm- 
 decked hills the sapphire sky bounded only by the 
 purple mountains or pale-green sea. Then we vis 
 ited Old Moro Castle, its portcullis, donjon-keep, 
 and ' sounding barbacan/ its gloomy grandeur of 
 turret and tower 
 
 'Its loop-holed grates, where captives weep,' 
 
 all recalling the feudal days of Scotland and Spain. 
 Next we drove through the Prado of San Isabel, 
 with its triumphal arches of snowy marble, its rose- 
 decked alamedas lined with palm, cypress, and mag 
 nolia, its clear fountains foaming amid thickets of 
 acacia and blooming oleander; and then on to the 
 great theater of Tacon, where the evening was 
 passed as if in fairy-land. 
 
 " Christmas-day we drove out to visit a coffee- 
 
72 THE COFFEE-PLANTATION. 
 
 plantation a dozen miles from the city walls. The 
 dew was still glittering on the foliage as we whirled 
 rapidly along in our easy volantas, and the air was 
 rich with the odor of orange-blossoms and a myriad 
 of other tropic flowers. We halted at the Bishop's 
 Gardens for an hour, and I can but faintly describe 
 their gorgeous floral wealth. These gardens are 
 centuries old, dating back to the days of Charles V., 
 w r hen the Spanish banner of crimson and gold waved 
 around the world. 
 
 "There were palm, myrtle, and mangoe trees 
 growing beside canals where the clear rushing 
 water rippled along over the bottom of gaily- 
 colored tiles. Then there were plantations of 
 yucca, the broad-leaved bread-fruit, lemons, guavas, 
 and figs, with great basins of marble brimming with 
 water, on which floated lilies white as snow. But, 
 entrancing as were those avenues of whispering 
 myrtle, orange, and pine, we drove on through the 
 warm sunlight until near noon, when we arrived at 
 our destination. 
 
 "The coffee-plantation contained a league of 
 land three miles square and was divided into 
 innumerable plats by long avenues that cut each 
 other at right angles, like streets, extending 
 through the plantation. These avenues were lined 
 on either side by palms of a hundred different spe 
 cies, and in their great width of full fifty paces, 
 and three miles long, they were set in Bermuda- 
 grass, mown like a carpet of velvet. The squares, 
 however, were carefully cultivated, and no weeds 
 w r ere visible in the red, mellow soil. 
 
% A BLOOMING CHEISTMAS. 73 
 
 "Next to the row of palms grew a line of 
 orange-trees; then lemons, almonds, pomegranates, 
 and olives, followed by a row of evergreens of in 
 finite variety, the remainder of the square being 
 planted to coffee-trees. 
 
 " It was a sight never to be forgotten that un 
 folded to our view as we drove down one of those 
 long colonnades of palm, over which the parasites 
 trailed, linking tree to tree with garlands of scar 
 let, rose, and golden blossoms the snowy orange- 
 flowers contrasting with its coppery fruit gloomy 
 pine, spruce, and cypress, with glimpses between of 
 the coffee-trees loaded with their crimson berries. 
 
 " Thousands of birds flitted about, lending ani 
 mation to the gorgeous tropical scene, gaudy par 
 rots, white doves, orioles, and blue-birds; while 
 myriads of humming-birds of rose and emerald, 
 gold and purple, w r ove and flashed among the trees. 
 
 " We, who live in these dull northern climes, 
 can not fancy the pictures of life and color that 
 adorn the forests of tropical America; but as I sac 
 that Christmas-day amid the Cuban groves, and ate 
 the most luscious fruits, fresh from the tree, the 
 glorious sunlight sifting down through the feathery, 
 fern-like palm-leaves, and over all the cloudless 
 blue of the southern skies, I thought of the snow 
 and ice which wrapped the hills and meadows of 
 my northern home. But a feeling of longing stole 
 over me for the brooks, bound by their crystal fet 
 ters and sheltered by the oak-clad hills, the merry 
 jingling sleigh-bells in the frosty air, and, amid 
 all this wealth of bloom and tropic life, my heart 
 
 7 
 
74 THE TOMB OF COLUMBUS. 
 
 turned back to the memory of rustic joys in my 
 boyhood's home, the roaring fire on the hearth 
 stone, when the frost-rime crept over the window- 
 pane; the rushing of the storm-king, as he piled 
 the ghostly drift without, or fled shrieking by, 
 shaking the gables in his wild wrath. Then fancy 
 came thronging on with dear faces of the home- 
 folk that I had not seen for years; and when I 
 awoke, with a start, to the thought that the ocean 
 rolled between me and my distant home, do not 
 blame me that a tear-drop went trickling down 
 through the sunlight of that foreign tropic land. 
 
 " After loitering for a few hours among the 
 coffee-trees, we ascended a mountain to drink of the 
 waters of a famous mineral spring, which gushes 
 from among the lofty cliffs; and as I stood on the 
 verge of a precipice, before me there spread a land 
 scape of matchless grandeur, the wide savannas 
 with their fields of cane, tobacco, and fruit, the dim 
 city, begirt with its walls and grim fortresses, and 
 the blue harbor, crowded with the ships of all na 
 tions ; while far away to the north, stretching out, 
 it seemed, to eternity, lay the trackless ocean, dotted 
 with white winged ships and those gem-like islands, 
 1 The Queen's Gardens.' 
 
 " Driving back to the city, we paid a moonlight 
 visit to the tomb of Columbus. I stood long and 
 silently by the urn where rests all that remains of 
 the Great Mariner all save the Columbian spirit, 
 which w r ill pervade the people of America as long 
 as this continent endures. 
 
 " Yes ; you and I are actuated by the same 
 
HOSES AND PASSION-FLOWERS. 75 
 
 spirit that guided the illustrious pioneers out to 
 ward the setting sun enterprise, ambition, and 
 energy. As I noted the^ humble monument, I 
 bitterly recalled the ingratitude and perfidy of 
 Spain ; but when there rose to my mind a vision 
 of the grand and powerful nations, the splendid 
 cities and happy homes of the thronging millions 
 from Montreal to Buenos Ayres, these, I mused, 
 are the monuments befitting the noble hero, and it 
 matters not that the lowly urn in the old cathedral 
 holds the ashes of mortality. 
 
 " Coming forth into the mellow moonlight, I 
 paused a moment to gather a spray from the roses 
 and passion-flowers, blooming in dew-drenched 
 clusters amid the orange and myrtle of the Paseo 
 hard by; and as I stood drinking, as it were, the 
 odors of that perfume-laden air, afar off could be 
 heard the sullen boom of the breakers as the sea 
 broke in thunder on the walls of Moro Castle, 
 while the faint, sweet notes of a guitar floated out 
 upon the night, mingling with the diapason of old 
 ocean's roar as it chanted its hymn of eternity on. 
 the rocky beach. 
 
 "Two weeks later I drove up to my father's 
 gate, through the snow and ice of a Northern 
 winter. The white drift wrapped the hills and 
 meadows, and the gurgle of the brook in the shel 
 tered valley sang faint and muffled within its crystal 
 prison ; the dear old cedars bent low under their 
 white burden, and from the eaves of the time-worn, 
 red brick homestead, the icicles hung glittering like 
 spears in the frosty light. 
 
76 SUCH A DAY CAN NEVER COME AGAIN. 
 
 " When I left home four years before, I was 
 a smooth-faced boy of twenty, but while in the 
 mines I had grown a beard like a Turk; and al 
 though in San Francisco I had passed under the 
 sway of the barber, who despoiled me of more locks 
 than Samson ever lost, yet enough remained to 
 complete my disguise; and I was smiling at the 
 surprise 1 had in store for the home-folks, when 
 the door opened, and lo ! Amy came flying down 
 the path with such an outcry that all the family 
 came rushing upon the scene, Amy saying, between 
 smiles and tears: 
 
 " ' Oh, George, you thought we would n't know 
 you; but I was watching, and when you paused at 
 the gate and looked so wistfully towards the house, 
 I knew oh, it must be you I' 
 
 "Ah well such a day will never come again ! 
 How I followed mother and Amy about, or sat in 
 the kitchen with father on one hand and Dick on 
 the other all of us talking at once ! Such a home 
 coming is known in all of its keen delight by only 
 the long-absent miner or returning soldier. And 
 the dinner which followed, where all the culinary 
 treasures of earth, sky, land, and sea were laid 
 under contribution, was a meal which caused me to 
 say they certainly meant to stuff me as a curiosity, 
 after the manner of a taxidermist. 
 
 " ' There must be some means devised to keep 
 you at home hereafter/ replied my mother. 
 
 " I said I was through with rambling ; for I 
 had brought enough money home for the whole 
 family unless we indulged in such dinners every day. 
 
SNOW-DRIFTS, SLEIGH-BELLS, SWEETHEARTS. 77 
 
 " Dick replied with a laugh that ' wealthy peo 
 ple could certainly afford salt for the potatoes/ 
 
 "'Oh, that is not a luxury, for I find it in both 
 the fruit and coffee/ replied my father. 
 
 " In the evening I took Dick's grays and sleigh 
 to drive over to Mary's home, and at starting was 
 charged by Amy to be sure and bring Mary over to the 
 1 wool-picking ' at Widow Hawley's a semi-festive 
 meeting of the best society in that primitive but 
 happy neighborhood. Promising to do my best to 
 meet Dick and her that evening at the designated 
 place of festivity, I touched the horses, and shot 
 down the drive just in time to dodge the slipper, 
 which, with a gay laugh, she hurled at my back ; 
 and as I rounded the curve of the stone wall into 
 the highway, she and Dick cheered me very en 
 couragingly. 
 
 "As I drove along the sparkling, crusted road, 
 the west was still blushing faintly, and the moon 
 peeped through the snowy tree- tops, that drooped 
 in feathery sprays of frost and ice, sweeping the 
 drifts below with their creaking, rattling branches, 
 and the stars winked knowingly in the clear, cold 
 sky as my sleigh-bells awoke the jingling echoes 
 among the well-remembered hills that flanked the 
 valley on either side. 
 
 " When I reached the door of Mary's dwelling 
 the windows threw out a ruddy light from the great 
 fire-place, where the flames leaped and crackled, and 
 showers of sparks flashed up the wide chimney, 
 while back and forth in the flickering light tripped 
 Mary, singing as she spun on the roaring wheel. 
 
78 
 
 "At my rap the wheel ceased its hum, a light 
 footfall was heard, and well, I '11 just close the 
 door, as it was only a private matter but in a 
 moment I was kissing her mother, who hugged me 
 almost as hard that is, she and the old gentleman 
 did no no I mean to say that Towser and all 
 the rest of the There there I go again " said 
 the colonel, joining in the merriment of his hearers, 
 who were shouting with laughter at the absurd 
 flounders of the colonel's narrative ; but when the 
 last giggle of Grace and Rob had subsided, and 
 cries of " hear, hear," resounded on every hand, 
 then our friend Warlow resumed, as he cast a fond 
 look toward his wife, who had been busy at the 
 camp-fire preparing the evening meal while the 
 shades of twilight were thickening among the trees. 
 
 " I only wished to say that I was highly gratified 
 with my reception on that happy evening, and Mary 
 and I were soon on the road to the residence of 
 Mrs. Hawley, where we found a merry throng of 
 old friends; and, after such a greeting as only one 
 who meets his childhood's friends after long years 
 of absence can appreciate, we were allotted a quiet 
 corner, and our share of the evening's labor." 
 
 At this moment a summons to supper was 
 heard, and the party adjourned to the camp-fire, to 
 discuss the savory prairie-chicken and quail on 
 toast, with which Mrs. Warlow celebrated the close 
 of that Sabbath-day. 
 
THE WOOL-PICKING. 79 
 
 Chapter VII. 
 
 COLON KL ^?W^RLOW'S STORY CONCLUDED. 
 
 AN hour later the party sat under the drooping 
 boughs of an elm, near thickets of snowy elder 
 and blooming wild-roses, which filled all the air 
 with their delicious fragrance ; the shallow stream 
 murmured and gurgled along between its willow- 
 fringed banks, glimmering like silver under the 
 beams of the rising moon. 
 
 At the request of the group, the colonel re 
 sumed, as follows : 
 
 " When the wool had been allotted to the cap 
 tains, in equal proportions, the leaders divided the 
 company in two parties. It was understood that 
 the side first finishing its task of picking the burrs 
 and other foreign matter from the fleeces of wool, 
 should crown its captain and carry her in triumph 
 around the room on a chair; then she should be 
 awarded the honor of opening the ball, which was 
 to follow in the wide kitchen. 
 
 " Mary and I were the last to finish, but were 
 helped through our task by several smiling friends. 
 Then our captain wild, saucy Peg Sickle bounded 
 up with the cry, ' Crown the captain P which was 
 re-echoed by her noisy followers, who proceeded, 
 with ludicrous ceremony, to carry the order into 
 execution. 
 
80 THE WOOL-PICKING. 
 
 "The violins struck up a lively air, and the 
 gay Peg, wearing her towering head-dress of wool, 
 led off in the inspiriting quadrille; but the lively 
 dance was watched ruefully through the open door 
 way by the other party, who still were at their un 
 finished task; but our hilarity was interrupted by 
 cries of 
 
 " ' Fraud ! Shame ! Peggy has been hiding the 
 fleece!' 
 
 " It transpired that the treacherous Peg had 
 concealed nearly half the wool allotted to our party, 
 and it had been discovered, in its hiding-place, 
 under the bed ; so poor Peg was dragged ignomin- 
 iously from the unfinished set, and made to abdicate 
 her woolly crown, which was quickly replaced by a 
 diadem of cockle-burrs, with which her irate foes 
 decked her brow, with the taunting reminder that 
 ' uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.' 
 
 " We slunk back to our unfinished task, as our 
 opponents finished theirs, and re-enacted the mum 
 mery ; but we toiled faithfully, notwithstanding their 
 jeers, and soon were allowed to join the revelers. 
 
 " I noticed, with gratification, that Amy appeared 
 'to still be heart-free; and as we were dancing to 
 gether, later in the evening, I told her of finding 
 Roger at Acapulco, and when she almost cried with 
 delight at his escape, I began at once to build ' cas 
 tles in Spain/ but prudently omitted mentioning the 
 incident of the picture. 
 
 " Dancing and singing continued until a late 
 hour, relieved, however, by huge baskets of hickory- 
 nuts and apples, with supplementary pitchers of 
 
THE SQUIRE'S HARROW. 81 
 
 cider. Of that ride home through the moon 
 light I'll say nothing, in deference to that lady by 
 the camp-fire yonder ; but suffice it that she was 
 the heroine of that very happy occasion, and the 
 10th of May was set for our wedding, which, in 
 view of my four years' probation, I thought an age 
 to wait. 
 
 "Next day I bought the ' Nolan farm/ which 
 was only three miles from Mary's home, and at 
 once proceeded to put the place in thorough repair. 
 The premises were rather tumble-down, and ' the 
 bildin's a leetle shackelty,' as the fox-hunting squire 
 remarked ; but I put such a force of workmen on 
 the old stone house and broken-backed barn that 
 the place was soon completely transformed. 
 
 " The fences were the most demoralized and di 
 lapidated that I have ever beheld. In fact, brother 
 Dick asserted that the ( Nolan boys, Bill and Ike, 
 were never known to open a gap/ but rode their 
 horses at the rail-fence, knocking it down for rods; 
 then half of the next day would be devoted to re 
 pairing the un picturesque nuisance said repairs 
 consisting of a load of brush, dumped where the 
 festive youths had make the floundering leap. 
 
 " Often I would come upon an unsightly place 
 in the fields the squire's ' harrer/ a great thorn- 
 bush, spiked to the earth with brambles and thistle 
 and I would smile at the vision of the sport-loving 
 farmer unhitching his team amid-field to chase the 
 venturesome coon or stiff-legged deer that had 
 caught his roving eye. 
 
 "My carpenters were finishing a stile and two 
 8 
 
82 WEDDING BELLS. 
 
 large gates in front of the house, which was tempo 
 rarily occupied by its former owner, when Master 
 Dave Nolan, a scion of the old stock, came upon the 
 scene. He viewed the improvements with great 
 displeasure, and, crawling under one of the large 
 gates, he said, as he wriggled out, lizard style: 
 
 " ' Gates is all nonsense ; aint half as handy as 
 a gap in the fence and a slick rail !' 
 
 "The 10th of May found the house thoroughly 
 renovated and furnished newly throughout ; so, after 
 the wedding ceremony, when we had discussed the 
 dinner, Mary and I took a ' bridal tour 7 by going to 
 our new home, and in the evening our neighbors and 
 relatives gathered in to give us a house-warming. 
 
 " Soon after, I wrote Roger an invitation to 
 spend the summer with us, Mary and Amy adding 
 a feminine postscript, in which they expressed their 
 valuation of one who had proved so noble a friend 
 in my distress, and earnestly begging him to give 
 them an opportunity of thanking him personally. 
 
 " To which he responded that he would ( do him 
 self the honor' of payirg his respects in person the 
 following July a visit which terminated in a wed 
 ding between my old friend and sister Amy. On 
 their bridal day I gave them the deed to the Maple 
 Dale plantation, which adjoined our own, and as I 
 handed the astonished pair the papers I remarked 
 that it was in fulfillment of the contract which 
 Roger and I had made at Los Angeles, and they 
 might charge it to ' Profit and Loss.' 
 
 " The newly-wedded pair left the plantation in 
 charge of an overseer, and returned to Acapulco; 
 
PEOFIT AND LOSS. 83 
 
 but Roger resigned his position after a few months, 
 and returned home to the quiet life of a planter. 
 
 " We enjoyed a long period of uninterrupted 
 prosperity ; but when the War of the Rebellion 
 began, I raised a company and joined the Southern 
 army. At the close of that terrible conflict all that 
 was left me was my title and family, with the wreck 
 of my once comfortable fortune. 
 
 "I shall hurry over the history of the struggling 
 years that followed; how on returning from the war 
 I found Mary and the children had fled to the city, 
 and how I gathered them once more together on 
 the farm, where the dear old homestead lay, a black 
 ened ruin. But earnestly we tried to retrieve the 
 lost years. 
 
 "The county in which I lived was { recon 
 structed/ and from the bonds issued by the officers, 
 and the taxes levied to run the costly, corrupt ma 
 chine, there followed wide-spread financial distress. 
 
 "A treasurer had been appointed to finger our 
 money. He was a hawk-nosed, black-haired little 
 reprobate, named Toler, and the way he tolled all 
 the grists which came to his tax-mill led us to be 
 lieve that he was well named indeed. It was 
 reported that he had once held the post of sutler in 
 a regiment of Eastern troops. Whether that was 
 true or not, he was undoubtedly the most subtle 
 villain that ever sold scabby sheep or slipped a flag 
 stone into a sack of bacon. Finally, this ' patriotic ' 
 officer, having stuffed his 'grip-sack' with county 
 funds, one dark night took an excursion for his 
 health, considerately leaving the county, which he 
 
84 PROFIT AND LOSS. 
 
 only refrained from stealing from the fact that it 
 was not portable. 
 
 " The reckless extravagance of that class of men, 
 cursed and abhorred by both parties, led eventually 
 to wide-spread ruin and bankruptcy; but out of the 
 wreck of my once comfortable fortune I saved a 
 few thousands, and, hearing favorable reports from 
 the fertile Kansas prairies, we turned our steps 
 westward toward the setting sun. Fate seemed to 
 lead me here; so I will begin the life-struggle over 
 again on the spot where I lost my friends and the 
 gold doubloons here, near the shadows of the Old 
 Stone-Corral." 
 
 When the colonel had finished the long and 
 eventful history of his past life, a silence fell on the 
 group a silence tinged with sadness as they thought 
 of the fate of Walraven and his wife ; and as the 
 camp-fire mingled its flickering light with the pale 
 moonbeams, throwing an uncertain, wavering shim 
 mer over the tangled vines and milk-white elder- 
 blooms, a sense of their lone, isolated position slowly 
 dawned upon them. They were far out on the 
 verge of an untried, mysterious land, no evidences 
 of civilization for miles around, and all the future, 
 with its trials and struggles, looming grimly on the 
 morrow. Is it any wonder that a feeling of dread, 
 awe, and fear stole over the stoutest heart at the 
 thought of the direful, tragic past haunting the 
 spot with its painful memories, and the black veil 
 of futurity hovering over them hiding the joys 
 and fears, the tears and graves, that lay beyond ? 
 
THE SPECTRE OF THE STONE CORRAL. 85 
 
 The colonel sat gazing, sad and thoughtful, out 
 toward the knoll, where, resting in the moonlight, 
 the victims of that horrible tragedy now slept their 
 sleep of eternity in the lone, grassy grave. 
 
 The winds whispered softly among the trees; a 
 song-bird twittered drowsily in its nest; then a 
 long, mournful howl from a wolf on the distant 
 hills broke the silence of the summer night. Maud, 
 looking wistfully out to the west, where the great 
 planets, those mute sentinels of time, kept their 
 watch in the sky, repeated the sweet, pathetic 
 u Dirge " of Tennyson : 
 
 " Round thee blow, self pleached deep, 
 Bramble-roses, faint and pale, 
 And long purples of the dale, 
 
 Let them rave ; 
 These in every shower creep 
 Through the green that folds thygrave. 
 Let them rave. 
 
 Chanteth not the brooding bee 
 Sweeter tones than calumny?" 
 
 A wild cry from Mrs. Moreland startled the 
 group from their reverie and broke in abruptly 
 upon their musing. As they lifted their eyes or 
 sprang to their feet in dismay, she pointed, with 
 trembling finger, to where the uncertain moonlight 
 flickered through the willows, and there they beheld 
 a sigbt which froze them with horror, and haunted 
 them with its mystery for long months thereafter. 
 
 But a few paces from where they sat stood the 
 form of a strange, gray figure, in a loose, long robe, 
 its locks and flowing beard of snowy white, its 
 
86 THE SPECTRE OF THE STONE CORRAL. 
 
 wildly gleaming eyes and snaggled fangs, showing 
 dimly in the spectral light. With a long, bony 
 finger pointed at the group, the figure stood for a 
 brief moment; then, with a blood-chilling scream, 
 it faded away amid the shadows. 
 
 Clifford Warlow and Ralph Moreland sprang 
 after the vanishing figure, unheeding the wild 
 shrieks of Maud and Grace, who begged them not 
 to follow the frightful apparition. As the young 
 men disappeared among the trees, Mrs. Warlow fell 
 prone upon the earth with a low moan ; and while 
 all of the party that remained forgot their terror in 
 their efforts to restore her from the death-like 
 swoon in which she had fallen, the young men 
 returned, reporting a fruitless search. 
 
 It was now proposed, as Mrs. Warlow had re 
 vived, that the boys Clifford, Ralph, Scott, and 
 Robbie should make a more extended search with 
 the three dogs; but they could not force the terror- 
 stricken animals to leave the camp-fire, where they 
 cowered trembling with fear. So the search again 
 proved unavailing. 
 
THE MONOTONY OF FRONTIER LIFE. 87 
 
 Chapter VIII. 
 
 THOSE were busy days which followed days all 
 too short for the years of labor that loomed so 
 drearily before the pioneers; but they set to work 
 bravely, plowing, building, and planning, and the 
 manifold cares of their new, strange life left no 
 time for repining over the events of the past, or 
 even to investigate the nature of that strange 
 visitant which had so startled them with its fleeting 
 appearance. 
 
 Although a hurried search was made near the 
 Old Corral, no trace of the lost treasure could be 
 discovered; and whenever the subject was men 
 tioned, or the hope expressed of the ultimate re 
 covery of the princely treasure, the colonel would 
 discourage it as delusive and visionary, and would 
 say that the surest way to recover the lost fortune 
 was to extract the gold from the soil through the 
 medium of the plow and an application of good 
 " horse sense " to their farming. 
 
 Several masons were employed from the nearest 
 town, forty miles distant, and, after tearing down 
 the walls of the Old Corral, the stone was utilized 
 in building, first, a dwelling for Colonel Warlow in 
 the grove in the river's bend ; next, a cottage for 
 Clifford on the site of the old stronghold, which had 
 been entirely obliterated, save that portion which 
 had fallen over Colonel Warlow years ago, and 
 
88 NEW HOMES. 
 
 which had so providentially shielded him from 
 death. The entire party had decided that it should 
 remain as a monument of the past, and accordingly 
 the stones which had been hurled down by the 
 drunken fury of the Indians, were replaced care 
 fully; so the wall now appeared as it did a quarter 
 of a century before, on the night of that terrible 
 tragedy. 
 
 Squire Moreland and his son Ralph also built, 
 from the same confused stone-heap, comfortable 
 dwellings a mile down the valley, but situated on 
 the opposite side of the river from the Warlows; 
 and, as all of the buildings were located near 
 natural timber, they presented a very home-like 
 appearance when completed. 
 
 But during all the while the plows were kept 
 busily turning the fertile valley sod, which was 
 planted in corn and millet, thus providing feed for 
 the stock the ensuing winter. 
 
 Yet it must not* be supposed by the reader that 
 incessant toil alone occupied the time of the settlers, 
 to the exclusion of all pleasure; for many were the 
 pleasant fishing parties and excursions to the Sand 
 Hills, far off to the north-west, where the delicious 
 sand-plums crimsoned the low shrubs which clothed 
 the hills, relieving, on these occasions, their life of 
 monotony. 
 
 An occasional antelope-hunt on the Flats to the 
 south was indulged in by the sporting members of 
 the colony, varied by the excitement of a wolf-chase 
 or the sight of a stray buffalo. 
 
 Then the ceaseless tide of travel on the Santa Fe 
 
VOTING BONDS. 89 
 
 Trail, thronging with settlers bound for the rich 
 prairies to the south, was in itself a link to the past 
 and an endless source of interest to the colonists. 
 
 One of the first moves of the Warlow and More- 
 land families was to organize a school district, a 
 proceeding which is never omitted by the first 
 settler of the western prairies, who, the very day he 
 " files," begins planning more or less secretly, to se 
 cure the location of a school-house on his " claim." 
 
 So, according to pioneer traditions, the district 
 was organized, consisting of a territory ten miles 
 square, and a meeting was called at the house of 
 Colonel Warlow, at which assemblage of the settlers 
 it was decided " to vote bonds to build a school- 
 house immediately." 
 
 All the voters present agreed, with perfect 
 unanimity, that "bonding" was the only feasible 
 method of accomplishing the object which they had 
 in view ; but when it came to specifying the time 
 for which the bonds were to run, or, in other words, 
 were to mature, then a stormy scene ensued, and 
 with varying degrees of eloquence the subject was 
 hotly discussed by the local orators. 
 
 It was proposed by one embryo politician 
 whose speeches were said by Eobbie to be longer 
 than his furrows " that the bonds be made payable 
 in one year," in which event the entire amount would 
 have to be met by a direct tax on all the assessi- 
 ble property in the district ; and as the lands of the 
 settlers would not be subject to taxation for the 
 period of the next five years, the burden would fall 
 upon the railroad land, which constituted one-half 
 
90 VOTING BONDS. 
 
 of all the territory embraced within the limits of 
 the district ; and the aforementioned " political 
 economist " proceeded to demonstrate to his hearers 
 the beauty and fitness (?) of making a company of 
 friendly capitalists, who lived, as he averred, over in 
 New England, not only pay the two thousand dollars 
 which was to build their school-house, but, in ad 
 dition to this, be taxed to maintain the school for 
 the next five years ; and he closed his brilliant per 
 oration by asserting " that his policy was to make 
 all bloated bondholders and corporation scamps 
 squeal when he had the chaince" 
 
 The squire and colonel both opposed the measure, 
 the latter replying in a speech of some length, in 
 which he vigorously attacked the principles advo 
 cated by the " chaince orator" saying that it would 
 be both immoral and unwise to take such a rascally 
 advantage of a company that were doing so much 
 to help the State and develop its resources. Then 
 he warned his hearers of the consequences of so 
 unjust a course, telling them plainly it was little 
 better than highway robbery, and the railroad com 
 pany would retaliate by raising the rates of ship 
 ping, whereby all would suffer alike. 
 
 But his appeal was disregarded by the rampant 
 majority, and, although he pleaded with the audience 
 to make the bonds payable in thirty years, which, 
 he said, was but equitable, the motion to make 
 the bonds payable in one year was sustained, and 
 one ardent supporter of that iniquitous measure, a 
 man in- a coon-skin cap, was heard to remark, as he 
 mounted his mule, which had one crank leg : 
 
GRASSHOPPERS. 91 
 
 " Good enough fur them railroad fellers ; they 
 just haint got no business a-comin' out hyur with 
 their bulljine a-spilin' of our freightin'." 
 
 Although the free discussion at the meeting led 
 to a feeling of animosity, the work of building was 
 begun and rapidly pushed forward to completion, 
 soon as the bonds which had been voted for the 
 purpose could be disposed of to those same " bloated 
 bondholders " of the East, and by the middle of 
 August, the large stone school-house, with a bell- 
 tower and rose window, crowned a knoll just across 
 the river from the Old Corral. 
 
 THE GEASSHOPPEE EAID. 
 
 A short time after the day on which the new 
 school-house had been dedicated by a public dinner, 
 in which all the colonists participated, a peculiar 
 haziness was noticed in the air, and, or. looking up 
 at the sun, swarms of gauzy-winged insects were 
 seen floating southward on the light breeze; but 
 they were too high for Clifford and Rob who 
 stood in the barn-yard wondering what they were 
 to conjecture the terrible import of the phenomenon. 
 
 Thicker and more dense became the haze, now 
 almost obscuring the sun, or again thinning out to 
 a silvery mist, which quickly changed to fleecy 
 clouds again, drifting overhead like the scud of a 
 summer storm. 
 
 Mrs. Warlow, who stood on the latticed balcony 
 that ran along the eastern front of the dwelling, and 
 on which there opened glass doors, instead of win 
 dows, from the long range of dormer gables in the 
 
92 GRASSHOPPERS. 
 
 upper story of that picturesque homestead, was look 
 ing out to the north, and as she saw a dark, strange 
 cloud quickly rising, she called to the boys to come 
 in at once as a storm was almost upon them. 
 
 As the boys glanced out towards the north-west 
 they could see the unnatural, black cloud stretching 
 across the northern horizon, but momentarily growing 
 nearer, like a dense shadow on a summer landscape. 
 
 Their father, who had been reading on the porch, 
 laid aside his paper on hearing the unusual com 
 motion, and stepped out in the yard. 
 
 " What can it be ?" said Clifford anxiously. 
 
 "A dust-storm, probably/' replied the colonel, as 
 the weather had been dry and parching hot for 
 several weeks past. 
 
 On came the threatening cloud, filling the air 
 from the earth to an incredible height, and a low 
 muffled roar grew louder every moment; then, as 
 the startled family sought the shelter of the dwell 
 ing, a seething mass of insects filled the air. 
 
 " Grasshoppers ! grasshoppers !" cried Rob, danc 
 ing about in wild excitement. 
 
 " Locusts !" exclaimed the colonel in great con 
 sternation; but even then no one but himself 
 realized the terrible disaster and wide-spread ruin 
 which their visit portended ; but as he said, gravely, 
 that they were the dreaded locusts or grasshoppers 
 which often laid waste whole nations of Spanish- 
 America, devouring every vestige of the growing 
 crops of those countries and in one day leaving the 
 land like a desert, then the meaning of the appall 
 ing calamity slowly dawned upon them. 
 
GRASSHOPPERS. 93 
 
 It was truly an awe-inspiring scene that met 
 their sight, as they stood by the wide windows and 
 looked out on the storm of insect life that raged 
 by, darkening the sun itself as they swarmed along 
 in countless billions. 
 
 One who sees the feeble "hopper" spring aside 
 from his path through the Eastern meadows can but 
 dimly comprehend the terrible sight the cubic 
 miles of winged pests that rush by with a hurtling 
 roar, filling the air all that day like the drifting 
 snow-flakes, through which the sunlight dimly 
 glimmered, or rolling by like the rack of some 
 fierce storm. 
 
 As the dew-drop that glints quivering in the 
 morning may be a thing of beauty, but when mul 
 tiplied by the waters of old ocean becomes grand 
 and imposing, so it was with this feeble insect 
 when re-enforced by his multitudinous kinsmen; 
 and when our friends saw his hordes darkening the 
 sun, and earth and sky swarming with his hosts, 
 they realized, as Clifford said, " that neither corn 
 nor cotton, but 'hopper/ was king," and thence 
 forth that once reviled insect was held in great 
 respect, though still regarded as an unmitigated 
 nuisance by all the members of our colony. 
 
 Next morning every tree, shrub, and building 
 was covered by the insects in huge, dark masses, 
 which flew up in disgusting swarms as the settlers 
 walked along, and the fields of sod-corn were soon 
 stripped clear of every ear and blade by the winged 
 pests, and all the vegetables, also, fell victims to 
 their rapacious appetites save, perhaps, the warty 
 
94 LAND OF THE MOTHER-IN-LAW. 
 
 old radishes, that stood bravely up in the ruined 
 garden, rejoicing in their "strength." The woolly 
 stems of the millet, likewise, defied their insatia 
 ble appetites. 
 
 The grasshoppers hung about until late in the 
 fall, as if loath to leave such hospitable 'friends; 
 and when it became apparent that the pests were 
 depositing their eggs in the ground, honey-combing 
 the roads, fields, and banks of the streams with 
 their cells, then the outlook became truly discour 
 aging; for it was known that the young brood, 
 which the next summer's sun would hatch out, 
 would work greater havoc and ruin than that 
 which the settler had just witnessed, all of which 
 disheartening prospects only served still more to 
 weaken the vertebrae of those settlers not endowed 
 by nature with spines like an oak-tree. 
 
 Accordingly, near the end of September, this 
 faint-hearted class inaugurated an hegira back to 
 the Land of the Mother-in-law, and by their haste 
 it was to be inferred that the much-maligned lady 
 of story and song had changed her traditional spots, 
 and 'now stood waiting to receive them with open 
 hand, on the digital members of which no longer 
 were visible the " claws " of malicious metaphor. 
 
 The long caravan, as it wended its eastward 
 course, was headed by the "chaince" orator, and 
 the coon-skin cap and crank-legged mule, of 
 "bulljine" memory, guarded the rear of the re 
 treating host. 
 
 It appeared as if the exodus of the settlers was 
 
95 
 
 regarded as a signal of departure by the grass 
 hoppers also ; for one fine morning they rose up in 
 darkening swarms and departed to the south-west. 
 
 The Warlow and Moreland families, who had 
 preferred to remain when their more faint-hearted 
 neighbors left, now proceeded to sow their fields 
 in wheat and rye, and the autumn rains and warm 
 sunshine soon clothed the fields with a rank growth 
 of the cereals, which, with the millet, prairie-hay, 
 and the pasture the wheat-fields afforded, served to 
 keep their stock in good condition during the mild 
 winter that followed. 
 
 Our friends devoted the early winter to build 
 ing stone barns and corrals, or pens for the stock, 
 and so busy, indeed, were the energetic settlers that 
 they could scarcely realize that March was with 
 them again ; but the w r ay in which that wayward 
 jade proceeded to demonstrate the fact left no doubt 
 in the minds of those who tried to withstand her 
 windy arguments. Although the weather was very 
 dry, the wheat and rye fields were green and rank; 
 but when April passed, and had neglected to shed 
 the customary tears over the frolics of her wayward 
 younger sister, and the drouth still continued, even 
 the stoical colonel became alarmed and fearful for 
 the future. 
 
 To add to the gloom of the outlook, the warm 
 sunshine had so operated as an incubator that the 
 earth fairly squirmed with the newly hatched brood 
 of young grasshoppers ; and as May came on still 
 warm and dry, and the young pests began their 
 
96 
 
 dread ravages on the tender young vegetables and 
 fields of grain, then grim famine, with all its hor 
 rors, stared the settlers in the face. 
 
 But*on May 16th, a change was noticed in the 
 atmosphere. The barometer denoted a rain ; and 
 as Rob limped about, he said that he could feel a 
 storm in his bones; but Clifford thought that was 
 owing to his tight boots. 
 
 A north-east wind began to blow, cold and 
 chilly, and a mist wrapped the earth in its foggy 
 folds until all the hills grew faint and dim ; then a 
 fine, drizzling rain followed, which before noon 
 merged into^a perfect deluge, and the rivulets as 
 they poured down from the highlands, mingled their 
 gurgling songs with the river's low bass, raging 
 and roaring over its rocky bed, all making sweet 
 music to the ear of the anxious colonist. 
 
 The Warlow homestead stood, as I have hereto 
 fore explained, in a grove that grew in the river's 
 bend ; and as the house was "situated on low ground, 
 some apprehension was felt by the family lest the 
 river should reach the dwelling; and as the barn 
 was on still lower ground, on the bank of the stream, 
 it was suggested that the stock should be taken to 
 the upland pasture ; a field that was inclosed with a 
 fence of barbed wire, and connected with the barn 
 yard by a lane. 
 
 Accordingly, Clifford and Rob drove the horses 
 and mules, with the cattle, up to the pasture, and 
 after closing the gate started on their return through 
 the pouring rain; but when they reached the mar 
 gin of what was, but an hour before, a shallow, 
 
THE FLOOD. 97 
 
 grass-bedded brook, babbling away through the 
 meadow, they found now a wide glassy stream, to 
 wade which they knew was impossible ; so divesting 
 themselves of their superfluous clothing, they tied 
 their boots up in bundles to throw across. 
 
 Clifford's budget landed safely ; but Rob was 
 not so fortunate, he having undershot the mark, 
 and he cried : 
 
 " There go my Sundiest boots !" 
 
 At the rueful outcry, Clifford turned, just in 
 time to see the bobbing bundle disappear in the 
 muddy water. 
 
 The boys swam over safely (but Robbie's bundle 
 was not recovered until several days had elapsed, but 
 then found to be sadly water-logged), and as poor 
 Rob stood shivering in the rain, Clifford gave him 
 his overcoat. 
 
 " Oh, a fellow only needs a pair of sandals an<J 
 a plantain-leaf to keep off the dew in this dry re 
 gion," said Rob, as he buttoned the welcome gar 
 ment around him. 
 
 The boys, after changing their wet garments 
 when they reached home, went down into the par 
 lor where Maud sat, twanging her guitar and 
 singing : 
 
 " Oh, gentle, gentle summer rain ! 
 Let not the drooping lily pine ;" 
 
 But Rob interrupted, and with an air of tragedy, 
 sang: 
 
 " Oh, cats and pitchforks cease to rain 
 And trickle down my chilly spine." 
 9 
 
98 THE FLOOD. 
 
 Then, his mother coming in, he proceeded to 
 tell about their "cruise," and the sad fate of his 
 bundle. 
 
 " Oh, you might have been drowned in that hor 
 rid stream !" said Maud, dropping her guitar in 
 consternation. 
 
 " About the only way a fellow can escape such 
 a fate out-doors to-day is to jump into the river," 
 said Clifford, in high good-humor. " Talk about 
 the ' dry belt/ " he continued ; " I hope that geo 
 graphical girdle will soon prove all too short to 
 span this western ' waste.' >; 
 
 The colonel, who had just come in, said with an 
 anxious face : 
 
 " I am afraid the only dry belt left by morning 
 will be the upstairs, unless this flood ceases soon." 
 
 At this announcement Mrs. Warlow and Maud 
 flew into a panic, saying they would all be drowned ; 
 to which gloomy predictions the colonel and Clifford 
 replied with arguments to the effect that the house 
 being of stone would resist any flood, and all that 
 was necessary to insure their safety, would be to 
 retire to the upper story of the dwelling in case the 
 water rose into the house ; and the feminine portion 
 of the household was soon reassured, and busied 
 themselves preparing an early supper, while the 
 stronger members of the family were busy carrying 
 the furniture up to that place of refuge. 
 
 The books, pictures, carpets, and other " house 
 hold gods," were soon beyond danger; but the old 
 rosewood piano was a load which nearly defied their 
 united efforts, though it, too, was successfully drawn 
 
THE FLOOD. 99 
 
 up the stairway with the aid of block and tackle, 
 and finally the store of provisions a very slender 
 store indeed was carried to the upper rooms. 
 
 After the hasty supper, Clifford and Rob went 
 to the stream, lantern in hand, to take a survey of 
 the situation. They found the river lacked now 
 but a foot of reaching the upper bank, and as it 
 was still raining in torrents they realized the gravity 
 of their position. 
 
 It was a strange, weird sight the sullen, roar 
 ing stream; but yesterday*^ silvery chain, scarce 
 linking the shallow pools where pebbles and shells 
 had shown in the clear, quiet depths now a mad, 
 dark river, boiling and swirling along in ' the red 
 glare of the light. 
 
 When they had returned to the dwelling and 
 reported the situation, the colonel looked very grave, 
 and they began to canvass the prospect of a retreat. 
 There was Clifford's dwelling, they remembered, at 
 the Old Corral, situated high and dry ; but to reach 
 it they would have to cross a stream that was a 
 foaming torrent, and the wild, swift river on the 
 south completely cut them off from retreat in that 
 direction* while away to the north stretched the lim 
 itless prairie, with not a habitation for more than a 
 score of miles to shelter them from the cold and 
 driving rain. 
 
100 A RAGING TORRENT. 
 
 Chapter IX. 
 
 BUT when they thought of the wide valley and 
 the vast quantity of water necessary to raise one 
 foot after the river left its banks, they dismissed the 
 thought of danger, and retired to rest. 
 
 The rain now poured down with greater fury 
 than ever ; the wind lashed the roof with the limbs 
 of the old elm that drooped over the chimneys and 
 gables of the dwelling; and the groaning and creak 
 ing added a gruesome feeling to the drowsiness 
 which the plashing rain-drops caused to steal over 
 the inmates of that danger-threatened household. 
 
 "It makes me think of spectres and shrieking 
 ghosts," said Robbie, as he drew the cover up closer, 
 and cuddled down by Clifford. 
 
 "Yes; it recalls the lines of 'Tarn O'Shanter,'" 
 replied his older brother, repeating a verse from 
 that masterpiece of Burns : 
 
 "The wind blew as 'twad blawn its last; 
 The rattling showers rose on the blast ; 
 The speedy gleams the darkness swallowed ; 
 Loud, deep, and lang the thunder bellowed. 
 That night a child might understand 
 The deil had business on his hand." 
 
 "If the Old Gent ventures from his fireside to 
 night, he'll get his tail wet," said Rob; then roll 
 ing over, the lad was soon in the " land of Nod." 
 
 But Clifford lay for hours listening to the hoarse 
 
101 
 
 roar of wind, river, trees, and pelting rain; but 
 finally he was lulled to sleep, though even in slum 
 ber he was weighed down and haunted by a sense of 
 danger; and when the clock chimed the hour of 
 twelve he arose, and stole down the stairs. As he 
 reached the next to the last step his foot plashed in 
 the water. He knew at once that the river was 
 now out over all the wide valley, and had risen in a 
 stealthy flow, invading the house, where it was at 
 least two feet deep. 
 
 Watching the water by the light which he had 
 returned and procured, he saw it was rising in an 
 alarming manner ; so he hastily dressed himself and 
 went to the window, and opening the sash, which was 
 all in one piece and hung on hinges, he looked out 
 on the glaring, boiling flood below. As he stood 
 thus, looking down on the terrible, raging whirl 
 pool, he was rapidly revolving in his mind plans of 
 escape from their perilous position ; but every ave 
 nue of retreat seemed closed. As he cast his eyes 
 about in despair, he started joyfully at the thought 
 of the "Crows' Nest" up in the great elm a place 
 which could be reached by a flight of steps springing 
 from the window ledge and leading far up into the 
 forks of the tree. 
 
 Smiling at the fact that he had not thought of it 
 before, he sprang up the stairs into the fanciful re 
 treat, which Robbie in his boyish fancy had planned 
 and built in the top of the lofty tree, and which, 
 on warm, sultry days, had proved to be an aerial 
 lounging-place as comfortable as it was novel. It 
 was a stout platform about eight feet square, railed 
 
102 AN AERIAL FAMILY. 
 
 about, and provided with seats, hammocks, and 
 even a rocking-chair. It was with a feeling of 
 relief that Clifford stood on the floor of the lofty 
 perch and glanced down at the glare of water. 
 
 Springing down the steps, which were also safely 
 railed, he went to the mark which he had made on 
 the wall and found the water had risen a full step, 
 and, knowing there was no time to lose, he ran to 
 the bed and awakened Robbie, telling him of the 
 situation, and in a few minutes that resolute young 
 chap was dressed and ready to lend a willing hand 
 in the plan which Clifford unfolded. 
 
 Taking a wagon-cover from one of the stow 
 aways which flanked the room, and a piece of 
 scantling from the same catch-all, the boys cut the 
 ropes from the wagon-sheet, and after tying, the 
 scantling securely to the limbs above the platform, 
 at a distance of six or seven feet overhead, they 
 next drew the canvas, tent-fashion, over it, then 
 brought the ends down in such a manner that the 
 rain was excluded from the " Nest/' and tacking 
 the sheet to the floor and making a flap for the 
 doorway, the interior was quite impervious to the 
 rain, which still raged without. 
 
 Some blankets were next carried up and spread 
 on the floor, and then two beds were made hastily, 
 and the busy fellows did not omit the pillows and 
 sheets ; so the place wore a very cozy appearance. 
 Then, when all was complete, they awakened their 
 parents and Maud, telling them of the safe retreat 
 into which they would be compelled to remove. 
 
 In a few moments they were all safely up in the 
 
AN AERIAL FAMILY. 103 
 
 " Nest," and then the provisions and a few valuables 
 were carried thither, Rob cautioning them not to 
 forget a jug of water. Then the boys went down 
 to the hall stairway and found that the water lacked 
 but two feet of reaching the upper floor. 
 
 Alarmed and in great suspense, Clifford stood 
 watching the flood, and was relieved to see that the 
 water crept more slowly up the stair; then Rob 
 bie, coming up, said that the rain was about over 
 and the stars were twinkling through the rifts above. 
 
 As the boys gazed at the water, a faint wet line 
 became visible on the wall just above the flood. 
 Breathless with suspense, they watched until the 
 band widened; then Clifford shouted in wild ex 
 citement, "Falling falling!" 
 
 "She's falling, falling!" shrieked Rob as he 
 flew up to the "Nest" with the joyful news. 
 
 Yes ; it was a blissful fact that the water was sub 
 siding, and, that too, at a rate which soon promised 
 relief from the danger which had threatened them 
 with total ruin. 
 
 Clifford, ever thoughtful of the comfort of others, 
 now built a fire in the warming stove which stood 
 in his room, and proceeded to make coffee for the 
 weary and chilly party that still remained up in their 
 "Nest;" and as the young man remembered Rob's 
 caution regarding the water-jug, he hastily tied a 
 rope to a bucket, and reaching over the window- 
 ledge, soon secured a supply of the necessary fluid. 
 A steaming hot cup of the fragrant beverage was 
 declared by the nestlings to be " prime and de 
 licious" in the extreme. 
 
104 AN AERIAL FAMILY. 
 
 Warmed and refreshed now, the family looked 
 out upon the strange scene which began to emerge 
 in the dawning light. The valley was submerged 
 from hill to hill; but they could see the cattle 
 patiently grazing on the highlands, and the poultry 
 on the accustomed trees were roosting serenely, far 
 above the danger-line. 
 
 The surrounding country was quite rolling, and 
 the stream headed among the hills on the west, only 
 a few miles distant; so after the rain ceased, the 
 flood subsided as rapidly as it had risen a pecu 
 liarity of all Western streams. 
 
 The family watched the water subside until all 
 the old land-marks were once more visible. The 
 fields were still covered in shallow water ; but soon 
 the wild river shrank back into its narrow channel 
 once again. 
 
 There had been great anxiety felt for the safety 
 of the Moreland family, although it was known that 
 their dwelling was situated on higher ground than 
 the Warlow house ; yet no sign of life was visible 
 at the homestead of their neighbor, and when a loud 
 halloo was heard from Ralph Moreland, who had 
 ridden over to the top of one of the hills which 
 shouldered down to the opposite side of the river, 
 a glad cry in response was raised from the inmates 
 of the " Nest." 
 
 It was amusing to see the bewildered way in 
 which he peered over, trying to discover their 
 whereabouts; and when he finally discovered the 
 aerial family, he eagerly asked after their welfare. 
 
 When he learned of their safety, he laughed in 
 
AN AERIAL FAMILY. 105 
 
 a relieved and hearty way at their " elevated station 
 in life." 
 
 In answer to their inquiries regarding his father's 
 family, he said that the water had not reached the 
 dwelling; but he was too uneasy thinking of their 
 danger to wait longer than daylight to ride over, 
 and, although he did not mention the fact, they saw 
 that his horse was wet to the saddle-bow, and knew 
 that he had swam a dangerous side-stream to gain 
 the hill. 
 
 Maud begged him not to return until the water 
 subsided, and she kept shouting their experience 
 across the river, while the equally noisy youth re 
 plied in tones like a fog-horn. 
 
 Mrs. Warlow and the colonel had now descended 
 to the " lower regions," as Clifford termed the first 
 story of the dwelling, where he and Rob were re 
 moving a mountain of mud from the floor, and their 
 mother soon prepared a breakfast which those 
 hungry youths pronounced a royal banquet. 
 
 But Maud still carried on her loud flirtation 
 from the tree-top in tones which, Rob said, " could 
 be heard in the next county," and the way she 
 managed, with her lengthened description of their 
 experience, to detain Ralph until all danger of high 
 water on his return had passed, showed she felt a 
 greater interest in the rider than in the high-toned 
 subject. 
 
 After he had at length ridden away, Maud de 
 scended to the rooms below, where her mother was, 
 saying that " this inundation would be long remem 
 bered, and would become legendary and traditional." 
 
 10 
 
106 AN AERIAL FAMILY. 
 
 "Yes," replied Clifford, gravely, "Rob and I 
 will carry the memory of the event down to our 
 ' remotest ancestors.' r ' 
 
 " Oh, I daresay it will lose nothing in the way 
 of variations in the transmission," said Maud; 
 "but here, you superior being, bring me a pail of 
 water;" and Clifford marched off obediently to the 
 muddy well. 
 
 " Why, madam," cried Rob, mockingly, as he 
 scraped the mud from the floor, " have you regained 
 your voice? I was afraid it was utterly lost;" and 
 he giggled at the thought of how her tones had 
 wandered away over the prairie. 
 
 " More scrubbing and less sarcasm, young man !" 
 she replied, with a blush, as she vigorously attacked 
 the wall, which was stained by the water, or fres 
 coed with mud and slime ; but as the plastering was 
 of hard coat, it soon regained its wonted purity 
 under the drenching which was administered by the 
 energetic and busy workers, and long before night 
 fall the usual neatness and order reigned in the 
 "VVarlow household. 
 
 The young brood of grasshoppers had all been 
 swept away in the flood, or perished in the long, 
 cold storm. Pious Mrs. Warlow said, "The hand 
 of the Lord is revealed in freeing the land of those 
 pests;" and indeed it appeared the work of Provi 
 dence, which had so effectually destroyed them that 
 no further trace was visible of the scourge which 
 only a brief day before had threatened both the 
 Missouri and Arkansas valleys with famine and 
 desolation. 
 
107 
 
 The weather, that for the past year had played 
 the fickle jade, now tried to atone for her folly, 
 and often would she burst into tears of remorse, 
 and veil her face in summer clouds, at remem 
 brance of the wild tantrums which had marred her 
 equinoctial history. 
 
 In the propitious rain and sunshine which fol 
 lowed, the fields of grain emerged from their coat 
 of rich sediment, and the lush, dank growth of the 
 cereals ripened into great level fields of waving 
 grain, the bronze and golden wheat and silvery 
 sheen of barley and oats contrasting happily with 
 the long rows of corn and emerald millet. 
 
 How often it is thus, that misfortune, on reach 
 ing a climax of superlative disaster, then assumes 
 the form of diminutive comparison! 
 
 The migratory settlers, that had been sojourning 
 in the Land of the Mother-in-law, now returned, re- 
 enforced by cousins to a remote degree, and on their 
 tattered old wagon-covers, on which had glared in 
 letters of blue, black, and red, the legend "Kansas 
 or BusT," and which on their subsequent flitting 
 had been partially erased and the assertion " buStud 
 by " printed instead, now there glared the daunt 
 less assertion, " kansiss is the bEsT lAnd unDur 
 the suNn." 
 
108 THE PICNIC. 
 
 Chapter X. 
 
 ONE delightful day in June the Warlow and 
 Moreland families, or the younger members 
 of those households, attended a picnic which was 
 held in a grove on the river seven miles below the 
 Old Corral. 
 
 At an early hour Clifford, Maud, and Robbie 
 drove down in their three-seated carriage, drawn 
 by Clifford's iron grays, and at Squire Moreland's 
 the party was re-enforced by Ralph, Grace, and 
 Scott. Baskets and fishing-lines were stowed away 
 under the seats, and the frying-pan, also, was given 
 a place of honor in the same promiscuous stow-away. 
 
 The dew was sparkling like gems on the bearded 
 wheat, so soon to fall before the reaper's stroke, and 
 the tender grass and softly-fluttering trees were all 
 bathed in the mellow sunlight, as they sped down 
 the winding road. 
 
 When our friends arrived at the grove they 
 found that the platform, which had been erected 
 among the trees close to the river, was crowded 
 with a well-dressed throng, who were merrily danc 
 ing to the music of violin, organ, and guitar. After 
 the carriage-load had been deposited on the plat 
 form, and Rob and Scott had returned from caring 
 for the team, the boys found Clifford, Grace, Ralph, 
 and Maud busily improving the shining moments 
 in the mazes of a cotillion. 
 
THE PICNIC. 109 
 
 When the music ceased, Maud was requested by 
 one of the amateur musicians to second on the or 
 gan, which was a mere labor of love ; and as she 
 acceded to the request, she saw Rob and Grace 
 spinning away in a waltz, dizzily gyrating about 
 the platform with a full score of couples, all equally 
 giddy and alike bent on extracting the most enjoy 
 ment out of the least possible time. 
 
 Clifford, who stood leaning against a tree, sur 
 veying the varied groups with that mingling of 
 interest, amusement, and indifference, which w r e ex 
 perience in viewing the movements of strangers 
 who may soon become acquaintance, and possibly 
 friends, was accosted by a handsome young man of 
 near his own age, who greeted him very cordially. 
 
 The new-comer was Hugh Estill, the son of a 
 wealthy ranchman who lived near, or at least but a 
 few miles further down the valley. The two young 
 men had become acquainted in a business way while 
 Clifford had been buying cattle at the Estill ranch 
 some weeks before, and it was to young Estill they 
 owed the invitation to the picnic ; so it was with a 
 feeling of gratitude, not unmixed with respect in 
 remembrance of the lordly ranch-house and its 
 princely domain, that young Warlow shook hands 
 and thanked the young ranchman for his thought 
 ful remembrance of them on this pleasant occasion. 
 
 Robbie had by this time surrendered his partner to 
 a young cow-boy, a son of the greatest " cattle king " 
 in the valley, and as the young " prince " led Miss 
 Grace out through the changes of the quadrille he 
 seemed totally oblivious of the fact that his leather 
 
110 
 
 "leggins," jingling spurs, and silver-mounted re 
 volver hanging from a cartridge-belt, were not 
 wholly in keeping with the festive occasion ; and as 
 they paused in the dance, the bovine princeling, 
 after blowing a long breath and wiping his glowing 
 brow on his sleeve, observed : 
 
 " That was a terrible swell the young blood 
 with a biled vest, who just waltzed with you. Ha ! 
 ha ! a wild rose in his button-hole ! Guess I '11 
 have to get one also by shot!" 
 
 But Miss Grace bluntly told him that a gourd- 
 vine would be far more suitable. 
 
 Robbie, who was happily unconscious of the dis 
 paraging remarks which were being made at the 
 expense of his purple and fine linen, had joined 
 Clifford and been introduced to the new friend, who 
 passed some good-natured compliments on that ur 
 chin's dancing, to which Rob replied that he was 
 but re-dedicating his boots that so lately had been 
 resurrected ; and he proceeded to tell in his inimi 
 table manner of the mishap that had carried his best 
 and dearly-beloved boots to a watery grave, from 
 which they were at length " resurrected," all filled 
 with mud and sand. Laughing heartily, Hugh said 
 he hoped he would shine as brightly on the resur 
 rection morn as those same " Sunday boots." 
 
 While Hugh and Robbie had been engaged in 
 the above frivolous and wholly unprofitable conver 
 sation, Clifford was improving the time in furtively 
 staring at a radiant and superbly beautiful young 
 lady who was playing the guitar near Maud; and, 
 indeed, young Warlow might have been excused if 
 
A DARK-EYED MAID WITH HER SWEET GUITAR. Ill 
 
 we had detected him in the rude act, for it was a face 
 which once seen would never be forgotten. 
 
 Her eyes of softest blue were veiled by silken, 
 jetty lashes, and a wealth of raven-black hair rippled 
 low on a face of creamy olive. An expression of 
 pride mingled with the spirited vivacity of her 
 charming face, which he thought was the most fasci 
 nating he had ever beheld. 
 
 Every detail of her dress, from the wide straw 
 hat with its drooping spray of lilies, the creamy 
 grenadine with its tangled pattern of the same 
 snowy flowers and cascades of foamy lace, the cross 
 and chain of palest coral, with ribbons of the same 
 faint rose-hue, evinced the taste and refined instincts 
 of a well-born and cultured lady. 
 
 There seemed to be the ineffable charm of grace 
 and elegance in her very attitude, as she stood by 
 the organ and swept the guitar with white, tapering 
 fingers, while through all the melody there thrilled 
 the sweet, dripping notes, like the memory of some 
 half-forgotten dream, which, though elusive and 
 vague, still haunts our waking hours through all the 
 turmoil of a busy day. 
 
 " Where have I seen that form and face before ?" 
 said Clifford, half audibly, as the last faint notes 
 died away, and he awoke from a reverie, while a 
 look of surprise and delight broke over his hand 
 some face ; then turning to young Estill he said, in 
 an eager tone : 
 
 " Who is that divine young creature who 
 played the guitar until she set me to dreaming of 
 old Spain ?" 
 
112 MORA ESTILL. 
 
 " Why, that musical divinity," said Estill, with 
 a hearty laugh, " is my only sister Morelia ; or Mora, 
 as we have become used to calling her. I shall be 
 pleased to present you, for I am truly relieved to 
 find some one who can appreciate her music, which 
 always sounded to me very much like cats fighting." 
 
 A moment later the young men were upon the 
 platform, and young Estill said, in his easy, good- 
 humored way : 
 
 "Sister Mora, let me present my friend, Mr. 
 Warlow, on whom your music has had the strange 
 effect of setting him to dreaming, not of cats on the 
 roof, but of castles in Spain, which I have by his 
 own confession." 
 
 She gave young Warlow a fair, dimpled hand, 
 on which flashed one ring of rose-colored amethyst, 
 and, after he had bowed very low, their eyes met in a 
 swift glance of half-puzzled recognition and sur 
 prise, while a magnetic shock caused them both to 
 tremble; but quickly recovering, she said, with a 
 smile, while toying with a bracelet of carved Nea 
 politan coral : 
 
 " My brother's criticisms are not of much value, 
 for the sweetest sounds to his ears are the bellow- 
 ings of beef-cattle." 
 
 Then, as she and Clifford sauntered out to a 
 seat under a tree, he said : 
 
 "How strange it is, Miss Estill, that I have 
 never met you before, for it seems as though I have 
 known you for years !" 
 
 " Why, Mr. Warlow, I was just trying to recall 
 the time and place where I had seen you. It must 
 
FISHING, ETC. 113 
 
 have been while we were traveling that we have 
 been thrown together for a moment; yet I can not 
 now remember the circumstance," she replied, with 
 a look of interest dawning in her blue eyes. 
 
 " If we had I would not have forgotten such a 
 pleasant incident, Miss Estill. But I am puzzled 
 to think why I remember even your tone and man 
 ner so well, for I can 't recall any chance meeting 
 with you in the past." 
 
 At that moment Grace and Hugh Estill came 
 up, and proposed that they should repair to the 
 river, near by, and spend an hour fishing; so they 
 soon were seated under the shade of an enormous 
 cottonwood-tree on the banks of a deep pool, while 
 Hugh and Grace, who had been introduced at some 
 former meeting, strayed along the stream in quest 
 of a " better place," which they did not discover in 
 sight or hearing of Miss Estill and Clifford. 
 
 After casting their hooks into the quiet water, 
 they sat down upon the shady bank, and Miss 
 Estill said : 
 
 "Hugh has often spoken of you lately, and we 
 had discussed the subject of calling on your sister 
 and Miss Moreland, but decided that we would 
 send you an invitation to our picnic, at which I 
 hoped to become acquainted with them." Then, 
 seeing a shade of disappointment flit over his face, 
 she added, archly : "And you also. But I assure 
 you that the call will not be deferred a great while 
 longer; for I am delighted to find such charming 
 girls for neighbors." 
 
 "The invitation was very kind and thoughtful 
 
114 
 
 of you, Miss Estill. We had been longing to meet 
 congenial companions, and hailed the news of the 
 picnic with all the delight of people who have been 
 isolated from society for a year or more. I hope 
 you will believe it is no vain compliment when I 
 tell you that I have already met new friends here 
 that I value higher than any of my old ones," 
 Clifford replied, as he knotted a bunch of elder- 
 bloom, snowy and fragrant, with the blossoms of 
 the wild heart's-ease, azure and gold, which grew 
 on the sandy stretch at their feet. Then, adding a 
 fern-like tuft of meadow-fescue, he held it toward 
 Miss Estill, while a look of undisguised admiration 
 shone in his clear blue eyes, saying : 
 
 " In memory of my deep gratitude." 
 
 Fastening the flowers among the meshes of lace 
 on her breast, she busied herself a moment with 
 the fishing-tackle as she drew the hook from the 
 water with a dangerous movement. Then, with a 
 smile dimpling her face, she said : 
 
 "If you feel such a deep sense of gratitude, 
 Mr. Warlow, you may discharge the debt by bait 
 ing my hook, which some wary turtle or other 
 aquatic creature, has been investigating." 
 
 With ready alacrity, Clifford performed the de 
 sired service; and as he let go the hook, Miss 
 Estill began a series of manoeuvres with the fish- 
 pole that were as womanly as they were threaten 
 ing. Finally, after the hook had performed for 
 some time around his head w r ith a dangerous 
 " s-w-i-s-*h," it fortunately landed plump into the 
 
FISHING, ETC. 115 
 
 water, with a thud and splash loud enough to scare 
 all the fish upon dry land. 
 
 They stood a moment, silently watching the 
 widening ripple ; then, as they seated themselves on 
 the bank again, Miss Estill said, with a smile : 
 
 "You are very brave, indeed, Mr. Warlow, 
 never to wince. But perhaps you were not aware 
 of the great risk a man runs who fishes with a 
 woman. I never should have forgiven myself if 
 that awkward hook had caught in your eye." 
 
 "Or my ear/ 7 he added, with such a look of 
 comic distress that she dropped her fish-pole into 
 the water with a merry laugh ; then, as he joined 
 in the merriment, the startled mocking-bird over 
 head hushed its song, and flitted away to some 
 quieter nook. 
 
 " Now, if we are not more careful, we will have 
 to dine on humility to-day/ 7 she said, as he re 
 covered the fishing-tackle. " But do you really 
 grow lonesome in your new home, Mr. Warlow?" 
 she added. 
 
 " Yes, indeed I did," said Clifford, with an em 
 phasis on the past tense that indicated the remote 
 ness of those days. " But we were very busy until 
 recently, and I did not fully realize what a hermit 
 I had become until I came here into the crowd, 
 and found myself growing hot and cold by turns, 
 my heart palpitating, and my hands and feet getting 
 heavy. Then I knew it would only be a matter 
 of time when I should fly, like a South Sea Islander, 
 at very sight of a human face, much less the pres 
 ence of a fashionable young lady ;" and he joined 
 
116 FISHING, ETC. PRINCIPALLY THE LATTER. 
 
 Miss EstilPs merriment at his charming candor, 
 with an easy laugh. 
 
 "Oh, I appreciate the situation," she replied; 
 " for when they sent me to Cincinnati to the board 
 ing-school, where all was so strange, and the only 
 ray of sunshine in the long weeks, months, and 
 years was a flitting call from my fashionable aunt, 
 or the yearly visits to my Western home, I felt 
 desolate and miserable. Why, I was so shy, and 
 possibly a bit wild, that I gained the name of Ante 
 lope among my school-mates;" and Miss Estill 
 smiled somewhat sadly at remembrance of those 
 past days. 
 
 " When you returned to your home, it certainly 
 must have seemed lonely after the life in that 
 'American Florence/ " said young Warlow. 
 
 " Oh, it was paradise ! I could scarcely believe 
 that the old days of banishment were over; and 
 indeed I half feared, sometimes, that they would 
 pack me off again. It was such a perfect joy to be 
 back at the dear old ranch once more with Hugh 
 and my parents, that I vowed I should never leave 
 again. But when I had been back a year I did 
 sometimes long for a good, confidential chat with 
 my girl friends, and would be a bit lonesome while 
 Hugh was away ; but our life is one ceaseless round 
 of labor, toil, and care, so I have short time for 
 repining. Would you believe, Mr. Warlow, that 
 more than half the time all the duties of house 
 keeper, unaided, devolve upon me ? Our house 
 has been a constant panorama of ' domestic ' wed 
 dings since I returned from school ; yes, and for 
 
FISHING, ETC. PRINCIPALLY THE LATTER. 117 
 
 years before also. No sooner would we begin to 
 appreciate some household treasure a Nora, Ruth, 
 or Nelly, who had come from the East to lessen 
 our domestic burdens than along would come some 
 spruce ranchman or handsome young homesteader, 
 and presto ! our domestic was courted away in a 
 twinkling to brighten a new home. And what with 
 the wedding which mamma always insists upon, 
 and the bridal finery she bestows, the burden is 
 redoubled. My weary shoulders fairly ache as we 
 pass through the constant, or tri-yearly, recur 
 rence of the same experience. Hugh says that 
 he believes the servant-girls of the East have 
 finally come to look upon our house as a matri 
 monial agency." 
 
 " Do you not think, Miss Estill, that the bright 
 new homes, which are a result of your charities, are 
 sufficient reward for your domestic martyrdom ?" 
 
 "Oh, if you think our providing wives for the mis 
 cellaneous ranchers, herders, and homesteaders could 
 be called a charity, I will have to say that our further 
 ing of those matches has proved a mixed blessing 
 indeed; for I recall a world of conjugal infelicity 
 which has followed those hasty and ofttimes ill- 
 assorted matches. * Marry at pleasure/ etc., is a 
 maxim true as it is trite, Mr. Warlow." 
 
 "Yes; it is undeniable that unhappy matings do 
 occur; but I can not see how a lonesome bachelor, 
 who eats his own vile cooking and goes through the 
 vain ceremony of laundry-work, could ever aggra 
 vate his deplorable condition, Miss Estill." 
 
 "But the fact remains that he certainly does," 
 
118 FISHING, ETC. PRINCIPALLY THE LATTER. 
 
 she replied, with a low gurgling laugh, like the 
 ripple of some sweet, clear brook. " Why, Mr. 
 Warlow, I recall a scene of which I was the 
 innocent witness one evening last month. I was 
 riding by the ranch of Mr. Blank, who had wooed 
 and won our cook after a courtship that was as 
 brief as it was fervid. I have reason to believe 
 he pines for his former state of untrammeled free 
 dom ; for, in some argument which they seemed to 
 be discussing that evening, she, his faithful help 
 meet, hurled the milk-stool at his head. I rode 
 quickly away, mentally washing my hands of any 
 further matrimonial schemes. 
 
 " Mr. Warlow ! a fish, a fish !" she cried in a low 
 tone, and he turned his eyes reluctantly to the sadly 
 neglected fishing-tackle, which he had " set " by 
 thrusting the poles into the bank, and which they, 
 in their long and absorbing conversation, had totally 
 forgotten. There he saw the flash of a finny 
 monster in the water, and the fish-pole violently 
 threshing in the air above the pond, and as he 
 drew the glittering perch from the pool, he found 
 that it had become entangled in Miss Estill's fish- 
 line also. 
 
 "It is our fish, is it not? and a good omen," 
 he said, as he secured the prize which fluttered at 
 her feet 
 
 " It is our ' luck/ " she replied gaily ; " but we 
 can boast of little skill in angling;" at which they 
 both laughed, low but heartily, at the thought how 
 far into foreign fields they had rambled, leaving 
 their fishing to chance, and in that merry glance 
 
119 
 
 was laid the foundation of sympathy, appreciation, 
 and friendship. 
 
 When they returned to the grove they were 
 joined by Hugh, Grace, Maud, and Ralph, whose 
 success had been most woefully indifferent. Those 
 discomfited anglers looked with undisguised envy 
 on the great piscatorial prize, and while it was fry 
 ing on the fire, which Scott and Robbie kindled, 
 they all lent a ready ear to the malicious story 
 which the latter urchin told "That Cliff had 
 brought a mackerel to the picnic, and it was that 
 same identical fish which they were frying." 
 
 When the cloth was spread on the grass, and the 
 great fish, garnished with elder-blooms and wild- 
 roses, was given the place of honor at the feast, 
 Hugh Estill said : 
 
 " Now, Mora, please pass the mackerel." 
 
 Only then was the fact made plain that Robbie 
 was a boy, given to telling "fish stories," and could 
 be trusted and relied upon only at the dinner- 
 table. 
 
 Ah ! it was a gleeful hour at that alfresco meal, 
 the soft breeze stirring the tree-tops, and the bright 
 sunlight sifting down through the fluttering leaves 
 on the silver and crystal, the frosty cake and quiver 
 ing jelly, the crimson and gold, and, above all, the 
 happy faces of our young friends. 
 
 Dancing and an impromptu concert, followed by 
 charades on a temporary stage, served to pass away 
 a few more blissful hours: then the revelers broke 
 into groups and couples, sauntering into shady 
 nooks, and engaging in those long and confidential 
 
120 "WE HAVE MET BEFORE." 
 
 chats which are totally devoid of interest to any 
 save themselves. 
 
 Miss Estill and young Warlow were seated upon 
 a bank where the mingled sunlight and pale shadows' 
 flickered softly over the lush and tender sward, and 
 their conversation steered away from the shoals and 
 quagmires of match-making and matrimony to the 
 vague and mystic fields t)f metaphysics. 
 
 "Do you know, Miss Estill, that I have a dim 
 impression, shall I call it? of having met you 
 somewhere before?" 
 
 "Yes; I remember distinctly of your having 
 not only met me, but also kindly helping me catch 
 a fish, before," she replied, archly. 
 
 Clifford said, in a laughing manner, that he was 
 not so ungallant as to forget that thrilling adven 
 ture, then he continued in an earnest tone : 
 
 "I feel like we had met long years ago; and 
 somehow, Miss Estill, it all appears so natural to be 
 with you, to hear your tones and see your face, that 
 it is like the return of some dear friend whom you 
 have longed to see for years." 
 
 " You almost make me believe in the theory of 
 the transmigration of souls, Mr. Warlow. How 
 very possible it may have been that in some dim, 
 pre-historic age you and I were a pair of giant 
 king-fishers, who to-day were reunited on the banks 
 of our favorite stream after the lapse of untold 
 ages! and what is more natural than we should 
 take to our antediluvian occupation at once?" and 
 she peered down into the pool with a sidelong glance 
 as though searching for her finny prey, while Clif- 
 
THE GRAY SPECTRE. 121 
 
 ford shook with merriment at her happy imitation 
 of that uncanny bird. 
 
 " I never was a firm believer in Swedenborg ; 
 yet the thought haunts me still that I certainly 
 have met you before to-day, although, as you say, 
 it may have been in some previous happy state, 
 Miss Estill." 
 
 " Now, to be frank, Mr. Warlow, I confess to 
 being a bit superstitious, which may be owing, 
 however, to my living so isolated from society all 
 these years that I even welcomed company of a 
 supernatural nature, which, you know, is better 
 than none." 
 
 " Why, it can not be that your vicinity is peopled 
 by shrieking ghosts, too?" said Clifford quickly, as 
 the memory of the spectre of the Stone Corral came 
 to mind, which in the turmoil of their busy lives 
 had been nearly forgotten. 
 
 " I can not see why I should revert to such a 
 subject to-day; but some way the mention of trans 
 migration of souls brought the remembrance of the 
 Gray Spectre to my mind," said she, glancing fur 
 tively over her shoulder ; then, as she caught young 
 Warlow's amused look, she smiled responsively, 
 and continued: 
 
 " You too have a skeleton in the family, I per 
 ceive; so let's unburden our souls and exchange 
 confidences." 
 
 "With all my heart," said Clifford; "I am glad 
 we have such a mutual bond of sympathy." 
 
 Then he told how the gray-robed figure had 
 startled the group at the camp-fire, and fled shriek- 
 
 11 
 
122 THE GRAY SPECTRE. 
 
 ing away, that memorable evening more than a year 
 before ; and although all of their family had main 
 tained an apprehensive outlook for a second visit 
 from his spookship, they never had been molested 
 further ; and he concluded by saying : 
 
 "But I hope, Miss Estill, your experience will 
 throw some light on the mystery." 
 
 " It is undoubtedly the same spectral being 
 which has haunted our ranch for the past twenty- 
 five years, and which has eluded pursuit on every 
 occasion, although papa, Hugh, and several herders 
 have endeavored, more or less bravely, to trace it; 
 but the mysterious apparition always vanishes into 
 the night without leaving a trace. Why, I have 
 become so fearful that, like the daughter of the 
 bold Glengyle, 
 
 ' Alone I dare not venture there, 
 Where walks, they say, the shrieking ghost,' 
 
 and I often fly at the sight of my own shadow," 
 said Miss Estill. " One evening, Mr. Warlow, I 
 was riding by a peculiarly lonesome spot near 
 home, a lofty hill on which there is the grave of a 
 mysterious relative, who died near a quarter of a 
 century since, and of whose history I can learn but 
 little. Although Hugh and I often question our 
 parents about him, they seem to evade our inquiries. 
 I had reached a point close to the grave, which is 
 all overgrown with thistles, notwithstanding the 
 fact that I had repeatedly planted flowers and roses 
 there that had always refused to grow, when that 
 same hideous, gray-robed creature emerged from 
 the thicket about the grave, and as I halted, frozen 
 
THE MYSTERY-WRAPPED GRAVE. 123 
 
 with horror at the sight, the gaunt wretch glared a 
 moment, then fled shrieking away in the darkling 
 twilight. Oh, I never paused to investigate, you 
 may believe, but gave rein to my pony, which was 
 as badly frightened as myself, and flew home like 
 the wind," said Miss Estill with a shiver. 
 
 " Have you ever been up to the corral, Miss 
 Estill?" Clifford asked. 
 
 " Not for three years, Mr. Warlow. Now, while 
 we are speaking of supernatural things, I must tell 
 you how strangely I always felt at that place. I 
 can never go about the old ruin without being 
 assailed by an uncanny feeling something like one 
 might be expected to feel who walks over her own 
 grave, you know !" she added with a smile ; then 
 continuing she said earnestly : " It always seems 
 that something terrible haunts the very air there, 
 and I feel a weight of grief and misery that hor 
 rifies me whenever I pass the spot. If I had lost 
 my dearest friend there, I should have very much 
 the same sensation, I believe, at sight of the ruin. 
 I struggle with my memory to recall some event 
 with which I seem to have been connected there; 
 but it is all in vain, for it is as intangible as a 
 moonbeam." 
 
 " That is very mysterious indeed, Miss Estill ; 
 for I often feel very much that way myself there, 
 but not in so marked a degree as when I pass that 
 great hill three miles up the valley, known as 
 Antelope Butte. I am often overpowered by a 
 feeling of deepest melancholy and grief while only 
 passing that hill. The first time I saw the place I 
 
124 
 
 was shocked to think how familiar it all seemed; 
 for I found the spring near its base just where my 
 instinct seemed to tell me that the water bubbled 
 forth from the rocky cleft. But a feeling of unut 
 terable longing and an uncontrollable yearning to see 
 some one, the name even of whom I can not recall, 
 always seizes me there, and I am both perplexed 
 and horrified at the sensation," Clifford replied. 
 
 Gradually the tone of their conversation lost its 
 gloomy hue, and rambled away into the realms of 
 art, history, and song, of the fair foreign lands be 
 yond that blue, quivering horizon; and as Miss 
 Estill fluttered her fan of carved ivory and rose- 
 plumes, talking in her sweet vivacious way, the 
 sunlight threw a halo about the golden hair and 
 Grecian face of the youth reclining on the bank, 
 suffusing with rose the handsome features that even 
 a western sun in all its fierceness could not rob of 
 its fresh glow. 
 
 As the fastidious Miss Estill noted every detail 
 of his faultless attire, neither old nor new, from the 
 tips of his shapely fingers to his glossy boots bear 
 ing the undeniable stamp of gentleman, she thought 
 how utterly effete was the comparison, " Rough as 
 a farmer;" and as admiration shone in his boyish 
 face, illuminated with those honest blue eyes, fringed 
 by their lashes of dead gold, is it any wonder that 
 romance threw its glamour over the scene, and they 
 half forgot to roam in fancy through foreign lands, 
 thinking of the joyful present, which, alas! we sel 
 dom value until it has become a sweet memory only. 
 
 The long shadows which stole down from the 
 
"BOUGH AS A FARMER." 125 
 
 hill-tops warned our young friends that they would 
 soon part, and reluctantly they returned to the plat 
 form, where preparations for starting were being 
 made. Grace Moreland and Hugh Estill still ap 
 peared to be deeply engrossed with each other's 
 society, and it was not remarkable that young Estill 
 should hover about the vivacious and bewitching 
 Grace; for she was a sparkling, graceful creature, 
 the picture of innocence and youth, in her dress of 
 fleecy white. 
 
 As Clifford stood by Miss Estill at parting, he 
 said, while his hand rested on the mane of her 
 creamy horse : 
 
 "Ah, Miss Estill, I little thought what this 
 morning held in store. This has been a day that 
 repays the many dark years of the past, and I shall 
 treasure its memory forever." 
 
 " Yes ; a blissful day indeed, Mr. Warlow ; and 
 it almost makes me sad to think I shall ever grow 
 old," she replied, as she gave her hand, which he 
 held longer yes, I shall have to confess the fact, 
 much longer than the laws of conventionality de 
 manded. 
 
 As the Warlow carriage drove up the broad val 
 ley, the coolness of twilight was brooding over the 
 prairies, and the twittering songsters fluttered down 
 from the highlands to the sheltering thickets which 
 belted the stream, and the fire-flies gemmed the 
 dusky groves and meadows when they alighted at 
 their homes. 
 
126 A WESTERN CALL. (!) 
 
 Chapter XL 
 
 ON a clear, serene Sabbath following the picnic, 
 Miss Estill and Hugh rode up to Squire More- 
 land's, excusing the call on that holy day by saying 
 that they were too busy to spare one day of six; 
 and after dinner at that hospitable home, they 
 walked up to Colonel Warlow's, being accompanied 
 by Grace, Ralph, and Scott. 
 
 They paused at the great latticed and arched 
 gate to glance into the yard, which was inclosed 
 by a low stone wall, over which the grapes and 
 wild-roses clambered in heavy clusters of tangled 
 foliage. Two gaudy peacocks were sunning their 
 glittering plumage on the grass plat in front of the 
 long stone dwelling resting so cool under the great 
 elm that same historical tree which had served as 
 place of refuge during the "flood" drooping low 
 over the quaint gables, dormer windows, and chim 
 neys wreathed by the transplanted wild vines which 
 festooned the rough walls. 
 
 The colonel was asleep in a hammock, which 
 was slung in the latticed porch, and his placid wife 
 sat near, reading the Bible, as she rocked softly in 
 the easy-chair. Clifford, clad in a cool white suit, 
 was reading also ; but I fear the work, in which he 
 was so absorbed that he had not seen the approach 
 ing guests, was not of such a sacred nature as be- 
 
A WESTERN CALL. (!) 127 
 
 fitted the LordVday. Maud and Rob, swinging in 
 a swing which was fastened to the limbs of the 
 great elm, were likewise perusing the pages of 
 some entertaining book, which Maud dropped with 
 a little feminine squeak of delight as she saw her 
 friends; then she flew down the path, and greeted 
 the new-comers with unfeigned pleasure. 
 
 As she kissed Miss Estill and Grace in true 
 girlish fashion, Rob, the handsome rogue, came for 
 ward and gravely offered to salute the ladies in the 
 same manner; but his cordial advances were declined 
 with thanks, whereupon he turned to the young 
 men of the party and kissed them effusively, amid 
 their merry peals of laughter at his sly way of 
 ridiculing the feminine mode of greeting. 
 
 Mrs. Marlow said in her low, sweet voice, as sjie 
 led the guests into the house, after they had been 
 presented in due form by Clifford, 
 
 " It is very kind of you, hunting us up this 
 lonesome afternoon." 
 
 " We should have done so long before this if we 
 had known what very agreeable neighbors lived so 
 near," replied young Estill. 
 
 " You will smile, possibly, at our thinking twelve 
 miles a neighborly distance, Mrs. Warlow, but I 
 assure you it seems only a trifle when we remember 
 that for years we have considered the people of 
 Abilene and Lawrence our neighbors," said Miss 
 Estill as she sank into an easy-chair, after Maud 
 had relieved her of the jaunty black hat with its 
 drooping white plume. 
 
 " We will freely forgive you, Miss Estill, if you 
 
128 A WESTERN CALL. (!) 
 
 will atone for your past neglect," said Mrs. Warlow, 
 with a pleased smile. " The lack of society has been 
 the greatest privation attending our Western life, 
 and but for the unvarying kindness and sympathy 
 of Squire Moreland's family, I fear we should have 
 found it quite monotonous." 
 
 The room where they were seated was a wide, 
 many-windowed apartment, with cool lace curtains 
 sweeping the dark, rich carpet. The walls were 
 graced by a few pictures and portraits, and on the 
 brackets of walnut and mahogany were vases of 
 wild-flowers. A wide bay-window at one end was 
 half screened by the curtains of lace, and through 
 their filmy meshes could be seen the cherished ge 
 raniums and fuchsias that were so dear to Maud as a 
 memento of the old Missouri home. A great 
 beveled mirror, framed in heavy gilt moulding, 
 reached from the mantel to the ceiling; and 
 strangest sight in this Western land was a wide 
 fire-place; but instead of the glowing coals and 
 crackling flames which one always associates with 
 the hearth-stone, there were banks of blooming plants. 
 The rich old piano and Maud's guitar occupied 
 one corner, and a low, velvet divan the other, on 
 each side of the mantel. It was a room which, 
 Miss Estill and her brother perceived, was redolent 
 with the refinement and harmony of the family, as 
 simply elegant and devoid of sham and pretense as 
 its owners. 
 
 Miss Estill gave a sigh of gratification as her glance 
 swept the apartment, and rested out on the shady, 
 well-kept lawn, where the hum of bees and songs 
 
A WESTERN CALL. (!) 129 
 
 of wild-birds seemed so wholly in keeping with the 
 tone of happiness and industry which pervaded the 
 "Warlow household. 
 
 " How strange it seems that you have been here 
 so short a time ! It is almost like enchantment 
 this evolving such a perfect home from the wild, 
 lonesome prairies and tangled woodland, where the 
 wolf and buffalo roamed unmolested not two short 
 years ago." 
 
 " We have to thank nature for the trees and 
 flowers, the vines also, Miss Estill ; but you see we 
 had little else to occupy our time but the improve 
 ments of our new home; though I believe we can 
 truly say that we have not been idle the past year," 
 replied Clifford. 
 
 " It is wonderful what a change your taste and 
 energy have made in that brief time. "We can not 
 blame our Eastern friends, who never have beheld a 
 wide, desolate prairie transformed into such a charm 
 ing home-land as this in a short year, if they do 
 vilify the average Kansan, and tax him with boast- 
 fulness and other vices not akin to truth." 
 
 At request of her guests, Maud was soon seated 
 at the rich, mellow-toned piano, and the strains of 
 " The Bridge " floated out through the open win 
 dows, as her sweet contralto rose, freighted with the 
 heart-throbs and regret which thrill through the 
 melody of that pathetic song. 
 
 "Ah ! Tennyson never had heard this sad, weird 
 poem when he gave the title 'Lord of Human 
 Tears' to Victor Hugo, or our own Longfellow 
 would have won it," said Miss Estill with a sigh. 
 
 12 
 
130 A WESTERN CALL. (!) 
 
 "Yes; Longfellow is the poet that seems nearest 
 in all our moments of retrospection. I never stand 
 at the crossing of the old Santa Fe and Abilene 
 Trails, on that hill yonder, without his lines re 
 curring, 
 
 1 Like an odor of brine from the ocean, 
 Comes the thought of other years ;' 
 
 and I must tell you, Miss Estill, that whenever I 
 meet you I feel that same remembrance, vague and 
 evanescent, of a time when you and I were very 
 happy, and were all at least we were very great 
 friends. But it is so shadowy and indistinct that I 
 can not grasp its meaning. It is like the memory 
 of some half-forgotten dream or the dim recollec 
 tions of a former life," replied young Warlow, in a 
 low tone, as the pulsing waves of music, the "Blue 
 Danube," throbbed through the vines and lace cur 
 tains of the bay-window where they sat. 
 
 " If you were less thrifty, Mr. Warlow, I would 
 suspect you were too fond of poetry to be practical. 
 But I should not throw sarcastic stones at your glass 
 house, for it has been no longer than a month ago 
 that mamma scolded me roundly for forgetting the 
 yeast in my batch of light bread. I had to lay all the 
 blame at the ' open door ? of the ' Moated Grange/ 
 which I had been reading. Poor Mariana might 
 well have said, after looking on my leaden loaves : 
 
 ' I am aweary, aweary, 
 I would that I were dead !' " 
 
 While Clifford was making some laughing reply 
 to this bucket of poetical cold water, he and Miss 
 Estill were summoned to the piano, where our young 
 
A WESTEKN CALL. (!) 131 
 
 friends were floundering hopelessly through the in 
 tricacies of a glee, in which Grace's alto would persist 
 in getting all tangled up with Hugh's baritone, and 
 the cat-calls of Rob's bastard bass and Scott's 
 frantic tenor only served to heighten the confusion, 
 that finally collapsed in subdued shrieks of laughter. 
 But when Miss Estill's dainty fingers rippled over 
 the guitar, and their voices blended with varying 
 degrees of melody as its twanging notes mingled 
 with the mellow tones of the piano, then something 
 like harmony prevailed again. Yet she and Clifford 
 would still exchange amused glances whenever Rob 
 gave vent to a more pronounced caterwaul than 
 usual, or Scott's gosling tenor squawked a wild note 
 of alarm. 
 
 " Miss Estill, I am longing to hear you render 
 a Spanish solo ; for I never can help the picture of 
 a Castilian maiden playing amid the courts of the 
 Alhambra, rising whenever you take the guitar," 
 said young Warlow, in a low tone. 
 
 " My broken Spanish would soon dispel the il 
 lusion," she replied, with a soft blush ; " but I will 
 give you, instead, a poor translation of a Mexican 
 song ;" and in a voice rich with melody and feeling, 
 she sang: 
 
 " There blooms no rose upon the plain, 
 But costs the night a thousand tears," 
 
 while the guitar rained a shower of soft-dripping 
 music, veined with a thrill of sadness. As her 
 bosom rose and fell with the sweet strains, the ruby 
 heart which clasped the ruff at her slender throat 
 
132 MYSTERY. 
 
 flashed rays of crimson and rose in the stray sun 
 beams that glinted through the room. 
 
 Clifford remained rapt in a reverie as the 
 dreamy music, with a low minor ripple, died away, 
 and the listeners sat in silence a moment, paying a 
 mute tribute to the graceful singer who now was 
 idly toying with the guitar. 
 
 One white arm was half revealed by the wide- 
 flowing sleeve, with its fall of creamy lace ; a clus 
 ter of fuchsias drooped among the waves of her 
 hair, and the wide ruff gave a graceful finish to the 
 close-fitting riding-habit of black velvet which 
 she wore. 
 
 Young Warlow was aroused by his mother 
 saying : 
 
 ;." Miss Estill, the colonel, iny husband." 
 
 He turned quickly, and saw his father standing 
 in the doorway, staring as if he had seen a sheeted 
 ghost. Yes ; it was undeniable that the courtly 
 and urbane colonel was positively staring with a 
 white face at the beautiful guest, and as he came 
 forward he said, in an agitated voice: 
 
 " Ivarene ? No no impossible ! Pardon, 
 Miss Estill ; but your face reminds me so strongly 
 of a dear, kind friend, ' who passed over the dark 
 river long years ago/ that I was quite unnerved ;" 
 and as he held her slender hand he looked hungrily 
 into the blue eyes that were regarding him with a 
 look of shy wonder. When Hugh was presented, 
 the colonel glanced keenly from the blonde, hazel- 
 eyed young man back to the Creole face of the young 
 lady, and he again murmured brokenly, and in an 
 
MYSTERY. 133 
 
 incredulous tone, " Brother and sister ? Strange 
 mystery !" and in the hearts of that group for many 
 a day echoed and re-echoed his words : " Mystery, 
 mystery !" 
 
 A constraint seemed to fall immediately upon 
 the inmates of the room, and Maud, perceiving the 
 traces of social frost in the atmosphere, suggested 
 that they should take a look at her flowers; and 
 the guests rose and followed in a confused group 
 out into the flower-garden, that was surrounded 
 with a low stone wall. 
 
 The paths, which divided the small plat into 
 four subdivisions, were interrupted at their inter 
 section by a circular path, where a succession of 
 terraces of the same figure rose to the height of half 
 a dozen feet, the whole forming a circular mound, 
 crowned by a tiny latticed arbor, which was reached 
 by a flight of white stone steps, flanked by vases 
 of the same alabaster-like material. 
 
 The terraces were sodded with the dainty, short 
 buffalo-grass, and each offset was planted with a 
 profusion of flowers, now beginning to unfold their 
 blossoms. This unique ornament was the work of 
 Clifford and Robbie, who had in their " idle " mo 
 ments thus transformed the unsightly pile of earth, 
 which had resulted from excavating the cellar, into 
 a "hanging garden to please Maud/ 7 and she felt 
 justly proud of the compliments which the guests 
 bestowed on the attractive feature of her trim garden, 
 with its wealth of lilies, roses, and gladioluses. 
 
 Although the group had emerged from the house 
 in a confused manner, it was remarkable how soon 
 
134 MOCK LOVERS. 
 
 order was restored, and the young people paired off 
 into couples after the law of affinity Maud and 
 Ralph, Grace and Hugh, leaving Clifford and Miss 
 Estill to either mate with Rob and Scott, or to choose 
 each other for partners in the ramble ; and it is also 
 strange how quickly they chose the latter alterna 
 tive, and sauntered away with appalling sang-froid, 
 leaving those youths to their own resources without 
 even the ghost of an apology. But the youngsters 
 had ample revenge for this heartless, cold neglect, 
 when, a few moments later, Rob was seen leaning 
 on Scott's arm in a languishing manner, with a 
 hollyhock perched daintily just above his nose, in 
 semblance of a most coquettish hat, his bob-tailed 
 coat embellished with an 'enormous petticoat of 
 rhubarb-leaves, while Scott alternately cast admir 
 ing glances upon his frail " lady," or fanned the 
 mock Beauty with a catalpa-leaf fully half a yard 
 broad. 
 
 And while Maud and Grace regarded their ma 
 noeuvres with furtive scorn and ill-concealed disgust, 
 this precious pair sauntered conspicuously after their 
 friends, who could see " Miss Rob " mince along 
 with exaggerated airs and graces, often pausing to 
 sniff of the enormous water-pot, carried in imitation 
 of a lady's scent-bottle. 
 
 Finally the party eluded the persecution of this 
 devoted couple by going back into the house, and 
 ascending to the "Crows' Nest" in the top of the 
 old elm; and as Maud recounted the thrilling ad 
 venture of the " flood," she felt certain that Rob 
 was too well acquainted with his paternal discipline 
 
ON THE WINDING STREAM. 135 
 
 to venture upon any nonsense about the house. But 
 half an hour later, as they were strolling down to 
 the boat, the party, in turning an abrupt curve 
 in the path, surprised the infatuated Scott on his 
 knees kissing the hand of the shy he-damsel, who, 
 with aifected modesty, was hiding her face in the 
 dainty fan and the last view our friends caught of 
 them while rowing up the river, the fascinating Rob 
 was sinking into the outstretched arms of his osten 
 tatious lover. 
 
 Clifford rowed up the winding stream, which, 
 although only a few feet deep, was here several 
 rods in width. As they passed along, an old beaver, 
 which had built a dam below, stuck its snout up 
 through the tangled grass that trailed into the water ; 
 then, after gazing a moment at the intruders, it 
 sank quietly from sight. 
 
 The pleasant ride suggested a boating song, and 
 a concert followed, which scared many a gray old 
 musk-rat to his den, and the frightened wild-fowls 
 scurried with whizzing wings out from the dark, 
 sedgy nooks, shaded by the elms and willows, as 
 the unwonted sounds floated out over the water. 
 
 Our friends walked up to Clifford's dwelling, 
 after landing and mooring the boat to a tree, and 
 while they rested on the pale ashen-green buffalo- 
 grass in the shadow of a mighty elm that smoth 
 ered the gables of the stone cottage with its wide 
 spread branches, Clifford pointed out the stone wall, 
 which was half concealed by the vines, where his 
 father had so narrowly escaped death a quarter of 
 a century before ; and as they sat, he told of the 
 
136 THE "CALL" LENGTHENS. 
 
 terrible tragedy that had here been enacted, which 
 explained why Maud had so tenderly trained the 
 roses over the ruined wall the wall that had shel 
 tered their father on that tragic night. 
 
 At the close of the mournful story Miss Estill 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " Oh, what a cruel fate. Poor, ill-starred Iva- 
 rene! It was that unfortunate bride that I so 
 strangely resemble. But how mysterious that it 
 should be so ! Now I do not w r onder at your father's 
 agitation at meeting one who reminded him of his 
 lost friend and benefactress. That was why he gazed 
 so pathetically into my eyes: I recalled the days 
 of his youth, his lost fortune, and the tragic fate 
 of his dear friends." 
 
 Hugh Estill said : 
 
 " Oh, this is not the first time I have heard the 
 particulars of that tragedy. It was often talked of 
 in the days of my boyhood ; but I was a child at 
 the time when it was still fresh in the memory of 
 the few settlers in the upper valley of the Cotton- 
 wood. It was fully ten years after the event that I 
 heard the version from one of our herders, who said 
 it was whispered that white men were engaged in 
 the massacre. Father was unnecessarily irritated, 
 I thought, when I repeated what the fellow said, 
 and he went so far as to discharge him, and forbade 
 me ever mentioning the subject again." 
 
 "Your parents were living on your ranch at 
 that time?" said Clifford, in a strange eager tone of 
 inquiry. 
 
 "Yes; we have lived on the same place for the 
 
THE "CALL" LENGTHENS. 137 
 
 past twenty-seven years, and both Mora and myself 
 were born on the old ranch/' replied Hugh. 
 
 After remaining rapt in silence a moment, Miss 
 Estill said, as she and Clifford stood apart from the 
 others, while he stooped to gather a spray of the 
 sensitive-plant : 
 
 " What is this strange, haunting sense of danger 
 and grief that always assails me on this spot? It 
 is like the dim remembrance of some tragic event 
 connected with my'own life a half-forgotten night 
 mare, as it were the very elusiveness of which is 
 distressing to me. I feel that same sensation now 
 which I mentioned having always felt on this spot, 
 when you told me how strangely you were affected 
 when passing Antelope Butte." 
 
 " I often experience that peculiar sentiment 
 here, also, Miss Estill, a kind of perception or 
 impression of some dire calamity with which not 
 only myself, but you likewise, have been connected 
 here," Clifford replied with troubled face. 
 
 " I am afraid we shall mould if we stay in 
 this gloomy shade any longer," cried Grace, spring 
 ing up with a little shiver; but the bright look 
 which young Estill beamed upon her showed plainly 
 that he, at least, was in no danger of such a blight 
 ing fate. 
 
 It was a beautiful scene that burst upon their 
 view as they emerged from under the low, sweeping 
 boughs, and stood in the sunlight south of the 
 gothic cottage. Around the knoll, on which they 
 were standing, purled and gurgled the stream, 
 fringed by feathery willows and stately elms, and, 
 
138 THE 
 
 after half embracing the hill in its tortuous folds, 
 winding away down the widening valley. Where 
 the timber, which skirted the serpentine river, grew 
 in groves of deepest green, there the stream had 
 expanded into placid lakelets, which flashed like 
 silver in the slanting sunbeams. 
 
 On the south, in the smooth, level valley, were 
 fields of ripening grain, wheat of coppery red or 
 creamy gold, silvery sheen of rye and oats, set in a 
 frame of emerald where the wild prairies came sheer 
 up to the clear-cut fields, that were innocent of fence 
 or hedge. Then their vision roamed out to the 
 north, where the rolling hills melted away on the 
 dim horizon. 
 
 As they stood silently gazing on the tranquil 
 landscape, the bell in the latticed belfry of the 
 Warlow homestead rang out in mellow clang, and 
 Maud said : 
 
 "Let's return, for it is the supper-bell. I do 
 hope, though, that mother has prepared something 
 more substantial for her guests than Clifford has 
 done for us this afternoon." 
 
 "Why, have we not reveled in mystery?" cried 
 Grace. 
 
 "And feasted on landscape?" said Miss Estill. 
 
 "And did he not hospitably entertain us with 
 legend, mellow and old?" chimed Ralph. 
 
 " Sorry that I could not have treated you to 
 fresher puns," retorted Clifford, laughingly. 
 
 On rowing down the tranquil stream, and com 
 ing once more into the shady yard of the Warlows, 
 our young friends found the tea-table spread under 
 
SPRING-CHICKEN AND MYSTERY. 139 
 
 the boughs of the ever-serviceable elm, and Rob 
 and Scott busy assisting Mrs. Warlow with the 
 evening meal. 
 
 As with deft fingers Maud culled choice bouquets 
 from her garden, and decked the table, she felt a 
 thrill of pardonable pride in the snowy damask, 
 the crystal and silver that glittered with the polish 
 of good housewifery, and the tempting, dainty 
 dishes which her mother had, with true Western 
 hospitality, prepared in honor of the guests. 
 
 Ah, hungry reader, I wish that you could have 
 been there also ; for my mouth vainly waters, even 
 yet, at the remembrance of asparagus and green 
 peas, spring-chicken smothered in cream (which I 
 hasten to explain was not the fowl of boarding- 
 house memory and tradition, with which the frosts 
 of December had " monkeyed ;" no barn-yard cham 
 pion was it, with cotton-like breast and sinewy 
 limb, but a tender daughter of the May-time, that 
 had perished on the threshold of a bright young 
 pullethood), and frosty lemon-pie, just tinged 
 w r ith bronze, flanked by the crimson moulds of 
 plum-jelly. 
 
 An hour later, in the gloomy twilight, as the 
 guests were taking leave, Miss Estill said: 
 
 " Your son has told me of the old tragedy that 
 has saddened your life, Colonel; but it is very 
 strange that I should resemble that ill-fated Mex 
 ican bride." 
 
 "Ah, Miss Estill, every hour you recall the 
 memory of my lost friends ; just such a daughter 
 might have blessed them, if they had lived," he 
 
140 SPRING-CHICKEN AND MYSTERY. 
 
 replied, with a sigh, as he searched the young face 
 with his wistful blue eyes. 
 
 " It is only a chance resemblance, of course a 
 mere coincidence," she replied, in a tone of un 
 easiness. "My parents were living here at the 
 time of the massacre; but I never have heard 
 of the dreadful occurrence until to-day," she 
 added. 
 
 " I would like very much to meet your father, 
 and talk over the early history of this country," 
 said the colonel, eagerly. "I sometimes find my 
 self hoping that they might have escaped," he 
 continued, in a half-musing tone, like one whose 
 mind is wholly engrossed by an overmastering 
 subject. She overlooked his incoherence, know 
 ing well that he referred to Bruce and Ivarene. 
 " Since I have been here on the scene of the 
 tragedy, the thought often recurs that I took it 
 for granted that they perished, and have trusted 
 too readily to circumstantial evidence in confirma 
 tion of that belief." 
 
 "How strange it is that no trace of that enor 
 mous treasure of gold and gems was ever obtained !" 
 she replied. "But, then, the horde of Cheyennes, 
 which Hugh said to-day were reported as having 
 been led by white men, found it an easy task 
 enough, no doubt, to carry away even that great 
 amount of coin after their murderous work." 
 
 "Ah! it is all a strange, dark mystery," he re 
 plied; "and to-day it is more impenetrable than 
 ever. But if I could see your father he might 
 remember." 
 
SPEING-CHICKEN AND MYSTERY. 141 
 
 Here the colonel paused abruptly, and threw up 
 one hand with an involuntary start, and Miss Estill 
 saw by the faint light that he was ashen pale. 
 But as the others were now passing out through 
 the gate, she reluctantly shook hands with the 
 colonel, who, she saw, was trembling with re 
 pressed emotion ; and then she took leave of the 
 other members of the family, vaguely wondering 
 why the courtly old gentleman should be so affected 
 by events which had occurred more than a quarter 
 of a century before. 
 
 When, an hour later, Clifford returned from 
 Squire Moreland's, whither he had accompanied 
 Miss Estill, he was accosted by Rob in the fol 
 lowing vein : 
 
 "What's up, Cliff?" 
 
 "Up where?" replied his brother, evasively. 
 
 "On the porch, if you have eyes for anything 
 less attractive than a young lady with a mop of 
 blue hair," said the indignant Rob. 
 
 " Oh father and mother ! Why, I can 7 t see 
 anything strange in our parents sitting on the 
 porch," replied his brother, in a tone of feigned 
 indifference. 
 
 " Well, but they have had their heads together 
 and been plotting for an hour; but Maud keeps up 
 such an everlasting racket with her singing and 
 dish-clattering that I can 7 t hear a word they say. 
 That girl positively is noisier than a fire-engine. 
 Now, just listen at that!" as Maud's voice sang in 
 sweet crescendo : 
 
 "Stars are shining, Mollie darling." (Crash, rattle.) 
 
142 SPRING-CHICKEN AND MYSTERY. 
 
 Mrs. Warlow."Do you think it possible that 
 they were saved?" 
 
 Maud (diminuendo). 
 "Through the mystic veil of night." (Rinkety-clink.) 
 
 Colonel. "She may be their daughter, who 
 survived." (Splatter.) 
 Maud (piano). 
 
 " No one listens but the flowers, 
 As they hang their heads in shame." (Klinkety-klink.) 
 
 Eob. 
 
 11 Yes, Mips Maud, you noisy magpie. 
 I hang ditto and the same." 
 
 Clifford. "If you don't keep quiet, I'll" 
 (Klutter-terattle-tering.) 
 
 Coffee-mill, etc. " Kr-rrrrr-r-rrr (Mollie) r-r-r 
 (dar) rrrr-r-rrrr." 
 
 Colonel. "She is the very image of Ivarene; 
 and I am almost converted to Bruce's strange 
 creed when I see them." 
 
 Maud (at the well). " Ke-pump, ke-pump, ke- 
 pump !" 
 
 Colonel. " I saw them together to-day. I was 
 perfectly bewildered ; for they are the very picture 
 of Bruce and Ivarene on their wedding-day." 
 Maud. 
 
 "Mollie, fairest, sweetest, dearest! 
 Look up, darling, tell me this " 
 Rob. 
 
 11 Miss Maud Warlow, you 're a bull-frog, 
 And I 'd like to have a hook in your nose." 
 
 But, as his rhyme ended w T ith such an ignomin 
 ious fizzle, he hurried away with a snort of disgust. 
 
SPRING-CHICKEN AND MYSTERY. 143 
 
 Clifford lingered a moment, hoping to hear more; 
 but his parents rose soon after, and entered the 
 house ; so, in a thoughtful mood, he went about his 
 farm duties. 
 
 Out in the wheat a quail called " Bob White/' 
 while down in the pasture a flock of prairie- 
 chickens or grouse disturbed the twilight calm 
 with their melancholy " ku-boom ;" but, as tne 
 evening faded into night, the quiet of early slum 
 ber brooded over the Warlow household. 
 
144 FALSE RICHES. 
 
 Chapter XII. 
 
 THE week which followed brought sad tidings 
 to the Warlow family. A black-bordered 
 letter came, bearing the post-mark of San Fran 
 cisco ; but before it was opened the family knew its 
 import. 
 
 Mrs. Warlow's only brother, William, had been 
 in the mines for several years, but since his health 
 had failed he had been making the great coast city 
 his home; and, although grieved at the announce 
 ment of his death, they were not unprepared for the 
 sad news. 
 
 The lawyer wrote that he held a few thousand 
 dollars of the deceased's money, which was left by 
 the will to Mrs. Warlow, and they were also in 
 formed that the "Redwood" mine was left to 
 Robbie, who was a great favorite with his uncle ; 
 but this latter property was as yet unproductive, 
 though the attorney conveyed an intimation that it 
 might some day prove very valuable, as there were 
 mines of fabulous richness near by. 
 
 Soon the rumor went flying through the colony 
 that the Warlows had fallen heirs to an immense 
 estate, and as usual the report lost nothing by 
 traveling; so our friends soon found themselves in 
 vested by the halo of riches without any of its sub 
 stantial benefits. 
 
 Speculations and conjectures were rife among the 
 
FALSE RICHES. 145 
 
 neighbors as to the " best manner of investing their 
 friend Warlow's fortune ;" and, in fact, it became 
 impossible for any member of the colonel's family 
 to meet an acquaintance without being informed of 
 some great opening for a judicious investment, that 
 was only waiting capital and enterprise to develop 
 the fact that there was " millions in it." 
 
 As Clifford paused one day to discuss the state 
 of the weather in a neighborly way with a male 
 member of this well-meaning but misguided class, 
 he learned that all the vast tract of vacant land to 
 the north, which still belonged to the government, 
 had been condemned as being " unfit for agricul 
 tural purposes/' and would be "offered" at public 
 sale the following August at the local land-office. 
 
 When young Warlow parted with his informant 
 the matter was dismissed ; but whenever he glanced 
 away to the north or east at the billowy hills and 
 level, rich dales, he would begin planning how he 
 could secure a tract of the land before it passed 
 into the hands of relentless speculators ; and one 
 day he actually rode out over the fertile, picturesque 
 country for miles, and with a blush found himself 
 dreaming how that long, narrow valley should be 
 sown to grain, and the galloping hills, clothed with 
 rich grasses, could provide pasturage for his vast, 
 imaginary flocks and herds. 
 
 Alas, that the lack of a few handfuls of " filthy 
 lucre" only, stood between himself and the owner 
 ship of the broad acres on every hand ! With a 
 dreary sigh he realized, for the first time in his life, 
 how bitter is the lot of the poor but ambitious man, 
 
 13 
 
146 A YOUNG FORTUNE HUNTER. 
 
 who sees the avenues to wealth barred by his lack 
 of capital. 
 
 As he stood on the spot where his father had 
 lost his fortune so many years before, Clifford 
 thought how many hundred thousand acres of that 
 rolling, fertile country the lost wealth represented ; 
 and while his horse grazed quietly near, the youth 
 threw himself down in the cool shadow of the ruined 
 wall, dreaming and planning how he might recover 
 the vast wealth that he had long suspected was 
 buried here near the scene of the tragedy. 
 
 But when he calmly began to analyze the evi 
 dence on which his suspicions were based, he was 
 disappointed to see how visionary it all seemed in 
 the clear light of reason. But it was too dear and 
 cherished a theory to be relinquished without a 
 mental struggle; so again he began to persuade him 
 self that those scheming white men, of whom young 
 Estill had spoken those inhuman villains might 
 have secreted the gold from the drunken Indians, 
 and it might have been that the blood-stained, 
 avaricious leaders had died a violent death in those 
 turbulent days, and the great wealth was still sleep 
 ing, undisturbed, all these years, while his father 
 was suffering under the heavy load of poverty and 
 fallen fortune. As Clifford still mused, there flashed 
 across his mind the lines of Rokeby : 
 
 "Then dig and tomb your precious heap, 
 And bid the dead your treasure keep." 
 
 Springing to his feet, young "VVarlow cried aloud in 
 his excitement : 
 
 "Ah ! it is all clear now the blood on the grass 
 
THE SANTA FE TRAIL. 147 
 
 and the newly made graves, of which Uncle Roger 
 spoke ! Yes, yes they buried the dead and the 
 gold in the same grave, and then decoyed the 
 savages away ! It may be that those bright 
 doubloons, the red gold of the Walravens and my 
 father, are buried but a few steps from where I 
 stand." 
 
 Flinging aside doubt and uncertainty, he hurried 
 down the hill to the spot where his father had said 
 the treasure-laden vehicle had stood on that fatal 
 night, and long and eagerly young Warlow searched 
 for a trace of the graves. But it was all in vain ; 
 for the vast tide of travel that had flowed for a 
 quarter of a century over the spot had not only ob 
 literated all trace of those lowly mounds, but had 
 also worn the mellow soil into deep gullies, down 
 the sloping sides of which the knotted buifalo-grass 
 crept like webs of pale-green lace. 
 
 In the old trail, where once the cannon of Phil 
 Kearney had rumbled, as with his army he hurried 
 forward to Santa Fe, and along where Coronado, 
 Lee, Fremont, and Kit Carson had ridden, now the 
 wild mignonette, in spikes of purple, fragrant blos 
 soms, grew, loading the sultry air with their rich 
 odors. The sensitive-rose, its fern-like foliage 
 tufted with rosy balls of gold-flecked down, closed 
 its leaves as Clifford hurriedly brushed by; but in 
 the tangled thickets of wild indigo, now blooming 
 in sprays of violet and creamy flowers, or among 
 the tall, lush, blue stem-grass the young " fortune 
 hunter" found no traces of the lost wealth no 
 sunken graves were visible to tell of that tragedy 
 
148 THE SANTA FE TRAIL. 
 
 of long ago; so it was with a slow step and feeling 
 of despondency that our friend sought the shelter 
 of his latticed porch. 
 
 While he sat, lost in speculation as to the best 
 method of prosecuting his search, which he was too 
 resolute to give up easily, his eyes rested on an im 
 plement that at a glance showed its adaptability for 
 the very purpose. It was a long rod of iron, tipped 
 with twisted steel. He remembered having had it 
 made the year before for the men who were searching 
 for a vein of water before sinking his wells. As he 
 seized it eagerly, and started once again down the 
 hill, he felt gratified and elated to perceive how 
 easily he could now test the earth to the depth of 
 five feet, and ascertain if there was any foreign sub 
 stance in the mellow, loamy soil, which throughout 
 the valley was a bed of rich, black loam, entirely 
 free from stone or boulders. 
 
 He had but reached the spot near the river, 
 when he saw his father riding through the wheat- 
 field toward where our young schemer stood ; and 
 hastily tossing the iron rod into a thicket, Clifford 
 met his father with an assumption of careless in 
 difference ; for all his allusions in the past to the 
 lost fortune had only met with the sarcastic disap 
 proval of his parent, who, being an intensely prac 
 tical man himself, could not tolerate any thing so 
 visionary as a search for the treasure seemed to be ; 
 and young Warlow had decided to keep his investi 
 gations secret, thus avoiding the censure and ridi 
 cule of the colonel. After a brief discussion in 
 
THE SANTA FE TKAIL. 149 
 
 regard to the condition of the ripening grain, 
 Clifford remarked : 
 
 " It seems very strange, father, that no trace can 
 be found of those graves which Uncle Roger men 
 tioned having seen near the Old Corral, when he 
 found you after the robbery and massacre." 
 
 " This is too busy a time for us to speculate on 
 the past, my boy. The wheat has ripened splen 
 didly I never saw a field to equal that valley 
 yonder and we will have to start the header to 
 morrow ; so if you will ride out on to the Flats and 
 engage three more teams, I will go down to Squire 
 Moreland's and tell them we shall begin early in 
 the morning/' said the colonel. 
 
 " But, father, first tell me as nearly as possible 
 where those graves were located; for I have a 
 strange curiosity regarding them of late. It must 
 be near this very spot?" 
 
 " Yes, yes ; near that old cotton wood-tree, or on* 
 the level space of sod just this side. But Clifford," 
 continued he in a tone of suspicion quite foreign to 
 the kindly colonel, " what nonsense are you medi 
 tating now? You are not still counting on that 
 lost fortune?" 
 
 " Well, father, there has been a growing belief 
 in my mind of late that the treasure is secreted near 
 here. Think how impossible it would have been 
 for a leader of such a band as those savages were, 
 to divide the booty satisfactorily among the pack of 
 drunken monsters. If the leader had the acumen 
 that I believe he possessed, he, no doubt, buried the 
 
150 SEARCHING FOR THE GOLD OF MONTELUMA. 
 
 gold, at least, in one of those graves while the others 
 were stupefied by the liquor; and there is a chance 
 that he may never have returned, owing to the dan 
 gers to which such turbulent villains are always ex 
 posed. I have thought this over carefully, until at 
 last I am convinced " 
 
 " That your father has a damned fool for a son !" 
 broke in the colonel hotly, as he rode away. 
 
 After supper Clifford said he would go up to his 
 house and spend the night an announcement which 
 caused no surprise, as he frequently stayed there ; 
 but on this occasion Robbie remarked to Maud : 
 
 " Cliff must be schooling his courage by staying 
 of nights up at that old spook-ranch ; but a fel 
 low who can stand that, could pop the question to 
 the witch of Macbeth without faltering." 
 
 " What do you mean by his popping the question, 
 Rob?" said Maud, setting her pail of foamy milk 
 down on the cellar-steps, while she regarded the 
 handsome youth with a puzzled look from her 
 round, blue eyes. 
 
 "Why just this," he replied, after "swigging" 
 down a pint of fresh milk from his own pail, and 
 deliberately wiping his lips with his shirt-sleeve; 
 " Cliff has got more sand in his gizzard than most 
 fellows ; but I guess he feels too poor, or something, 
 to talk marry to Mora Estill, so he goes mooning 
 off up there to that old spectre's nest just like 
 fellows do in novels, you know," he added, lucidly. 
 
 But here the peremptory tones of his father 
 called the young philosopher to take the colts down 
 to the lower pasture. 
 
SEARCHING FOR THE GOLD OF MONTELUMA. 151 
 
 When Clifford arrived at his dwelling he pre 
 pared several stakes, and fastened bits of white 
 paper to their tops ; then, securing the iron rod, he 
 placed it with the small sticks, which he had left 
 in the porch, and sought the dainty and comforta 
 ble bed which he owed to the thoughtful kindness 
 of Maud and his mother. 
 
 Sinking into a profound slumber, he was only 
 awakened by the alarm which sounded as the clock 
 struck one. As its chime died away, he arose and 
 stole forth into the tranquil night. 
 
 A waning moon had risen, and in its faint light 
 the water of the brook glimmered coldly as it wim 
 pled over the stony ford. The fluttering leaves of 
 the old cottonwood flashed like silver, and the 
 hoary form of the great tree, every limb of which 
 seemed outlined in white, towered vague and 
 ghostly above the shadows cast by the more dense 
 foliage of ash and willows. 
 
 Clifford paused in the level glade where his 
 father had said the graves must have been when 
 Roger Coble passed the spot twenty-six years be 
 fore. Thrusting the rod deep into the soft, loamy 
 soil, young Warlow threw his whole weight on the 
 instrument, which penetrated to the depth of sev 
 eral feet with little difficulty. On meeting with no 
 obstruction, he withdrew the rod; and after mark 
 ing the spot with one of the stakes which he had 
 provided, he began again to prosecute the search 
 one step further south. 
 
 The precaution of marking the place where he 
 had sunk the rod was for the purpose of system- 
 
152 SEARCHING FOB THE GOLD OF MONTELUMA. 
 
 atizing the search, thus avoiding confusion. In 
 fact, these careful details were but an indication 
 of the practical nature of the young Fortune 
 Hunter, which, even on this weird night, strongly 
 asserted its sway. 
 
 While the leaves murmured and whispered, as 
 if striving to tell of the tragedies that had marred 
 this spot of the mystery that seemed to haunt the 
 very air around Clifford still pursued his investi 
 gations, patiently and in silence, only pausing to 
 draw a deeper breath or a sigh of disappointment 
 at each fruitless effort, as he toiled onward into the 
 deep shadows near the bank of the stream. 
 
 At length, tired and weary, our young friend 
 stood on the verge of the stream over the bank of 
 which the dank grass trailed, and the rank vine of 
 the wild-gourd, with its silvery leaves, rioted in 
 wildest luxuriance and profusion. 
 
 Glancing up through the branches of the hoary 
 old cottonwood, he could see the glittering constel 
 lation of Scorpio far out on the south-western 
 horizon, the fiery star Antares, which forms its 
 heart, glowing like a ruby in the blue vault of 
 heaven. 
 
 For a moment Clifford rested on the handle of 
 the deep-sunken instrument, and, lifting his heavy 
 felt hat with its leathern band a badge of the 
 ranchman throughout all the West he drew a 
 deep breath of the cool air that swayed the wild 
 hop-vines and pendulous branches of the willows 
 to and fro in the moonlight. 
 
 Around, a thousand wild-flowers distilled their 
 
SEARCHING FOR THE GOLD OF MONTELUMA. 153 
 
 odors. The sensitive-plant nodded softly in dew- 
 drenched sprays, its rosy balls flecked with drops 
 that glinted like gems, while all the air was heavy 
 with its perfume of spices and honey. 
 
 The foamy elder-blooms exhaled an odor of 
 entrancing sweetness, and over the senses stole the 
 fragrance from pond-lilies and water-mint, wild- 
 hyacinths and mignonette. 
 
 A large prairie-owl flitted by, lending a note 
 of discord to the tranquillity which had reigned, 
 with its dismal hoot, that mellowed away into a 
 plaintive shriek as it lit in some far-off, som 
 bre nook. 
 
 Then again silence brooded over the valley, 
 broken only by the croak of frogs along the rush- 
 lined shore, or the soft chirp of insects in the 
 grass; but suddenly the jabbering wail of a lone 
 wolf, distant yet distinct, pierced through the 
 gloom, startling into silence all the minor voices 
 of the night, and adding with its wild echoes a 
 double sense of loneliness to the weird night. 
 
 Clifford turned to the iron rod, and with a few 
 vigorous efforts sent it deep into the yielding earth ; 
 and as the quiet of nature once more reigned over 
 the wild glade, he kept turning the handle mechan 
 ically, and listening to the gruesome sound of the 
 answering wolves faint cries that made him shud 
 der when, lo ! the ,steel point grated harshly 
 against some obstruction beneath his feet. 
 
 Quickly withdrawing the rod, he seized the 
 sharp spade and began digging, throwing the black 
 soil out of the pit with frantic haste as he sank 
 
 14 
 
154 SEAECHING FOR THE GOLD OF MOKTELTJMA. 
 
 rapidly down into the earth at each stroke. As 
 he neared the goal he became dizzy and faint, his 
 breath coming in quick gasps, and the blinding 
 sweat streaming from his face, from which it fell 
 in great drops like rain. 
 
 Pausing a moment, while the weird, horned 
 moon peered through a rift in the boughs over 
 head, and gleamed coldly on his upturned, haggard 
 face, he thought of the wealth that might lie be 
 low, his father's lost fortune; the wealth of Mon- 
 teluma; its gems and red gold, with all the power 
 that great treasure represented; then, quivering 
 with excitement, he dashed the spade into the 
 earth, and in a moment more the head of a cask 
 was dimly outlined at his feet. 
 
 Breathless and panting, he paused, leaning on 
 his spade, while the hopes and fears, which so 
 often, often, assail us on the threshold of some 
 great enterprise, came thronging on with their 
 mockery, causing him to stand irresolute, as if 
 fearing to solve the mystery; but at length, after 
 summoning all his strength, he struck the cask 
 with his sharp spade, and the head fell in with a 
 dull crash. 
 
 As he stooped to peer down into the gloom 
 below, a pair of fiery eyes glared at him from the 
 cavity, and, as he sprang back with a shudder, a 
 sharp, whizzing rattle in the cask announced the 
 presence of that dread reptile, the rattlesnake a 
 new and terrible danger, worse than the sting of 
 poverty with all its terrors. 
 
 As Clifford stood frozen with horror, the slimy 
 
THE STARE OF DEATH. 155 
 
 monster rose from out the cask, still sounding its 
 angry alarm. A moment more, enraged and writh 
 ing, it coiled at his feet, its head erected, slowly 
 swaying to and fro a gigantic, threatening monster. 
 
 Its eyes glowed like coals of fire, and in the 
 bright light shed by the lantern Clifford could 
 see it darting its tongue and glaring with a look 
 of indescribable ferocity and malignant hatred, to 
 which nothing else in the world can be compared. 
 Those who have faced an angry rattlesnake, and 
 who still turn pale at its remembrance, or start 
 from sleep with a cry of fear at the returning 
 vision of terrible danger, will recall the awful 
 rage and menace that glared from the eye of the 
 angry serpent a glance that unnerves the bravest 
 man in the world instantly. The reptile only 
 seemed to await a motion on Clifford's part to 
 strike like a flash of lightning. Then, with a 
 clammy shudder, young Warlow thought of the 
 agony and speedy death that was certain to follow. 
 At the tremor which involuntarily shook his frame 
 at the thought, the hideous serpent crested its head 
 and paused in its vibrations. "Now all is over," 
 our young friend thought, and breathlessly awaited 
 the shock. 
 
 Instantly the face of Mora Estill rose before 
 him, a fleeting vision of loveliness; and with it 
 came a realization of the love for her that had 
 rapidly grown into an all-absorbing passion in their 
 short acquaintance. He knew at once what had 
 sent him out on this midnight search, and why he 
 had begun to wish for wealth so eagerly of late : 
 
156 THE STARE OF DEATH. 
 
 It was because he craved fortune and a position 
 which would equal that of the " Cattle King's " 
 daughter. Yet even in this moment of deadliest 
 peril he thought, with a grim smile, of the irony 
 of fate the reward of his first attempt at " fortune 
 hunting." 
 
 While death stared at him from those glaring 
 eyes, and the moments seemed to lengthen out to 
 years, he thought of his friends at home, all uncon 
 scious of the dire fate that he was facing ; then a 
 wild longing for life seized him, and for the first 
 time since the encounter he began to plan a way 
 of escape. 
 
 The spade on which his hand rested was sharp 
 and bright ; but to raise it before the serpent could 
 strike he knew was impossible ; so he stood immov 
 ably eying the formidable reptile, which at length 
 slowly uncoiled and glided away from his feet to an 
 opposite corner of the pit. With a sigh of relief 
 Clifford saw that the danger was lessened, yet he 
 began to more fully realize the size of his deadly 
 antagonist, which now reached twice across the 
 yard-wide pit. 
 
 In moments of great danger we are apt to think 
 with lightning-like rapidity, and quickly see any 
 advantage that may arise. So it was with Clifford, 
 who remembered that the rattlesnake always throws 
 itself into a coil before striking ; and as he saw it 
 thus off its guard, with a quick movement he struck 
 a violent blow at the snake's head and pinioned it 
 to the earth then throwing his full weight on the 
 handle he felt the bones crunch beneath the sharp 
 
AN EMPTY CASK! 157 
 
 blade, while the reptile madly threshed its now 
 headless body about and wrapped its jangling tail 
 around his boot. 
 
 Springing out of the pit, with a desperate leap, 
 young Warlow disengaged the writhing, heavy mon 
 ster from his foot, and with the iron rod threw it 
 away into the grass; then sinking down upon the 
 ground, unnerved and exhausted, he lay, too weak 
 to move for several minutes. But when he remem 
 bered the unexplored cask, he sprang to his feet 
 again, and after listening cautiously a moment, and 
 hearing no further evidence of danger, he dropped 
 lightly down into the pit, carelessly tramping on 
 the grim serpent-head that but a few moments 
 before was so full of threatening danger. 
 
 Anxiously he thrust the long rod down into the 
 cask. No rattle responded ; but the despairing fact 
 became apparent : the cask was empty ! 
 
 With a sinking heart he groped about the 
 bottom of the cask with the rod, and when its iron 
 point struck against a round object that rolled over 
 with a harsh sound on the bottom, he quickly thought 
 of the casket of gems, and reaching down, with a 
 thrill of excitement he clutched the mysterious, 
 smooth object, and sprang out of the pit into the 
 moonlight. 
 
 By the pale beams of the gibbous moon, now 
 sinking low in the western sky, but throwing a 
 path of shimmering silver on the bosom of the 
 rippling brook, he saw not the gems of Monteluma, 
 but a human skull, that, with its wide, eyeless 
 sockets, seemed to glare derisively, and with great 
 
158 THE GRAY SPECTRE. 
 
 white teeth laugh mockingly, at this ending of his 
 " fortune hunting." With a cry of despair, the dis 
 heartened youth dashed the loathsome object to the 
 earth ; but, as if the sound of his voice had evoked 
 its former spirit, there glided from out the waver 
 ing shadows a tall, gaunt form, gray-robed and 
 silent, with tangled, flowing hair, and burning eyes, 
 its lips drawn back from its snaggled fangs in a 
 horrid look of hate and ferocity. With noiseless 
 tread it seemed to float into the moonlit space ; then 
 snatching the skull from the ground and clasping 
 it close to its breast, with an unearthly scream it 
 faded away among the whispering willows. 
 
TERRIFYING DREAMS. 159 
 
 Chapter XIII. 
 
 ON the morning following that Walpurga Night, 
 Clifford came down to the Warlow breakfast- 
 table with a weary, feverish air, that caused his 
 father to say : 
 
 " My boy, you are far from well, I fear ! This 
 first day of harvest will be quite hard on all of us ; 
 the clay promises to be hot and sultry ; so perhaps 
 you had better rest in-doors. We might send 
 Robbie over on the Flats, and secure you a substi 
 tute until you are stronger." 
 
 At this poor Rob mumbled something about 
 "a sixteen-year-old boy having more legs than a 
 centipede;" a remark which he was careful to ad 
 dress to his plate, however, while Clifford replied : 
 
 "Oh no, father; a cup of Maud's coffee will set 
 me all right, I am certain." Then, as he poured a 
 quantity of yellow cream into the cup of fragrant 
 Rio, he added : " I was wakeful and did not rest 
 well last night ;" all of which we know was correct, 
 if somewhat evasive. 
 
 "Oh, Cliff! I had the most terrifying dreams 
 last night, in which you were, some way, always 
 mixed up," said Maud wearily; " and although I 
 can J t remember anything distinctly, I am so nervous 
 that I shiver even yet." 
 
 " So, madam, you feed the hungry harvester on 
 Cold Shudder, garnished with scrambled Night- 
 
160 A WESTERN WHEAT-FIELD. 
 
 mare," said Rob, with a glance of contempt at the 
 bacon and early potatoes, of which even his rav 
 enous appetite was now weary. Then, as he broke 
 an egg that was shockingly overdone, he added 
 spitefully : " Why did you boil your door-knobs ?" 
 
 " I spent a weary, restless night, also," said Mrs. 
 Warlow, ignoring Robbie's sarcasm. " I was so 
 vaguely uneasy about you, Clifford, that I shall 
 object to your staying alone at the corral hereafter." 
 
 " Alone, nothing !" said Rob. " I guess, by the 
 way he goes fishing about of late, he will soon find 
 some one to keep him company," he added, with a 
 knowing giggle, at which Clifford tried to look un 
 concerned, while Maud and her mother exchanged 
 pleased and amused glances. 
 
 After breakfast Clifford drove the header to the 
 wheat-field, which soon presented an animated and 
 busy scene. The great machine was pushed by 
 four horses, which were guided by young Warlow, 
 who stood behind on a small platform, and steered 
 the ponderous reaper with one hand, while with 
 the other he held the lines. The elevator carried 
 the heads of wheat into a large w r agon, which ran, 
 barge-like, beside where a busy loader arranged 
 the load, until, towering like a hay-stack, the 
 wagon would hold no more. Then it was driven 
 away to the rick-yard by the careful driver, being 
 succeeded by another team with military precision. 
 The flapping of the canvas elevator, and the roll 
 ing waves of wheat, rippled and tossed by the 
 summer breeze, made a scene that recalled a sail on 
 the sea; all of which w r as as gratifying to Clifford's 
 
A WESTERN WHEAT-FIELD. 161 
 
 sense of the picturesque as the prospect for gain 
 was encouraging. 
 
 When the evening came twenty acres of the 
 heavy grain was stacked in six trim ricks at the 
 edge of the field. A square of golden straw re 
 mained standing, to be either burned at the end of 
 harvest, or turned under by the plows to further 
 enrich the soil. Ten more days of such labor 
 would be necessary, however, to finish the Warlow 
 harvest, and no doubt long before that time the 
 picturesque side of the operation will be appreciated 
 best by those who view it at a safe distance. 
 
 In the cool twilight Clifford and Rob were riding 
 homeward, the former silent and abstracted, while 
 the latter was calling "Bob White" to a badly- 
 deceived quail, that answered back from the stub 
 ble-field. Finally, becoming tired of this, Eob 
 turned a shrewd but freckled face to his brother, 
 and said: 
 
 " What was the matter up there last night, Cliff? 
 You have been grim as an old mummy all day ! 
 I bet my boots you saw something too] so out 
 with it." 
 
 " Why have you seen anything strange up there 
 recently, Rob ?" Clifford replied, evasively. 
 
 " Now, do n't give it away, Cliff, for the folks 
 would raise an awful racket if they found it out ; 
 but last week I saw that old gray demon of the 
 camp-fire, you remember by the corral. I was 
 riding Pomp and driving the cows home through 
 the dusk, when, as I came along by the old stone 
 wall there, out popped that long-haired spook, and 
 
162 
 
 glared at me like old Nick. Good Lord, Harry ! 
 but I dug out of that, my hair bristling up mad- 
 dog style, and Pomp wringing his tail till it 
 cracked like a whip-lash/' he concluded, with a 
 scared laugh. 
 
 " Well, I saw him, too, at the same place last 
 night/' said Clifford, in a low tone as several 
 harvesters came up. " But let 's keep the matter 
 secret, Rob; for it will never do to let the neigh 
 bors know it, and be ridiculed for our superstition. 
 Then it would only make mother and Maud un 
 easy. So let 's watch and say nothing until we have 
 unraveled the mystery." 
 
 In the evening Clifford was starting up to his 
 dwelling, on the plea that the house at home was 
 crowded with the workmen; but Rob insisted on 
 going along and sharing the watch, which on this 
 and the succeeding evening was unsuccessful, for 
 no trace of the ghostly visitant was found. As 
 Clifford had quite enough of " fortune hunting " 
 the night of his first experience, he made no further 
 investigations for the recovery of the treasure. 
 
 The following Sabbath, which was the second 
 after the Estill visit, the younger members of the 
 Moreland and War low families drove down to the 
 Estill ranch. As they dashed up to the great pile 
 of creamy stone buildings, smothered in elms and 
 sheltered on the north by towering, tree-clad cliffs, 
 our young friends noticed with wonder the signs 
 of age which the vine-mantled and time-stained 
 building presented. 
 
 It was a well-dressed, animated group that 
 
163 
 
 alighted from the handsome Warlow carriage, 
 Maud in gray silk and dotted tulle ; Grace in a 
 " Dolly Yarden " costume, with her broad, white 
 hat wreathed by daisies ; Ralph in superfine black, 
 with lawn tie and white vest, his handsome face 
 ruddy with health and happy contentment; Scott, 
 quiet and thoughtful, in Puritan-gray ; while Rob 
 gloried in the splendor of spotless white, his small, 
 well-shaped boots glittering like jet. He had given 
 just enough cock to his jaunty straw hat to cor 
 respond well with the general air of pertness con 
 veyed by a slightly freckled nose, dimpled cheeks, 
 dusky with tan, and a pair of round, hazel eyes, that 
 always danced with fun. But it was golden-haired, 
 pansy-eyed Clifford, with his Grecian face, smooth, 
 glossy cheeks, tinged with bronze, but fresh and 
 boyish still, who would rivet the gaze longest ; 
 for there was a look of pride and strength about 
 him which caused one to forget the boutonniere 
 of fescue and lobelia, blue as his own eyes, and the 
 rich-textured suit of seal-brown, which he wore 
 with the easy grace of a planter's son. 
 
 The long frontage of the stately mansion was 
 broken by gables, balconies, and quaint dormer win 
 dows, and on the broad platform, or terrace, in front 
 of the building a fountain flashed in the sunlight. 
 The terrace was walled with creamy stone, and 
 railed about by a heavy balustrade of white mag- 
 nesian limestone. In the angles and at the top of 
 the steps were great vases of the same alabaster- 
 like material, down the sculptured sides of which 
 
164 A VISIT TO ESTILL'S RANCH. 
 
 trailed tangled masses of vines with their blossoms, 
 scarlet, gold, and blue. 
 
 As our friends drove up, they saw Miss Estill 
 sitting on the buffalo-grass which coated the lawn 
 with its thick carpet of pale green. She appeared 
 tp be twining a garland of flowers about the neck 
 of a pet antelope, as it stood with its head on her 
 shoulder in an attitude of docile affection. 
 
 As the young lady arose to greet the guests, the 
 graceful animal bounded away to the shrubbery, 
 where, after peeping a moment with shy wonder at 
 the new-comers, it skurried off to the top of the 
 cliff behind the dwelling, snorting and stamping its 
 foot angrily at the intrusion. 
 
 After greeting her friends cordially, Miss Estill 
 led the way through a tessellated hall, where the 
 walls were frescoed and hung with elegant paint 
 ings, past the winding stairs of dark, rich wood, 
 and to a cool, long room to the east, the floor of 
 which was covered with India matting, swept by 
 the lace curtains that shaded the lofty windows from 
 the fierce sunlight. An air of quiet refinement and 
 simple luxury pervaded this apartment, which spoke 
 volumes, in a mute way all very favorable to the 
 Estill family. 
 
 When Mrs. Estill came into the room, Mora 
 presented her new friends, who were charmed by 
 the elder lady's welcome; but when Clifford was 
 introduced she gave him a swift, searching glance 
 from her keen, blue eyes, that brought a flush to 
 his face at her look of scrutiny and valuation. She 
 must have read him aright, however, for she gave 
 
165 
 
 her hand to young Warlow in a very friendly way, 
 and he thought he detected a sub tone of gracious- 
 ness in her welcome to himself a shade deeper than 
 when she had addressed the others. 
 
 Mrs. Estill was a fair, dignified matron, whose 
 flaxen hair was now slightly tinged with gray ; but 
 as Clifford contrasted the Creole daughter with her, 
 he failed to detect any resemblance between the two. 
 
 The elder lady must have divined his thoughts, 
 or observed his look- of wonder at the strange dis 
 similarity existing between herself and her only 
 daughter, for she appeared to be embarrassed and 
 constrained in her attempts at entertaining the 
 guests; but Mora was so animated and vivacious 
 that her mother's disquiet was unnoticed by all save 
 Clifford, who vaguely wondered at this show of 
 uneasiness over such a trifle; yet he had occasion 
 before many weeks had elapsed to recall it all with 
 a strange significance. 
 
 When Mr. Estill came in, and Mora had pre 
 sented her new friends, the ruddy, genial old ranch 
 man said with a smile : 
 
 " Now this is something like civilized life once 
 more! Why, it does my very soul good to see 
 young company about the old ranch a sight that is 
 as rare as it is pleasant. I almost fancy myself back 
 in the old home again." 
 
 The visitors were soon chatting gaily with the 
 courtly and entertaining host, who proved to be a 
 typical ranchman of the plains, shrewd through 
 long dealings with a business class noted for sagacity 
 and wealth; urbane and refined in manner by hav- 
 
166 A SKELETON IN THE ESTILL CLOSET. 
 
 ing been thrown among bankers and the leading 
 men of the city for many years ; and lastly, hospi 
 table, possibly owing to the fact that his hospitality 
 had never been overtaxed nor abused in that thinly 
 settled country. 
 
 " Where could this Creole daughter have sprung 
 from? She looks as if she might have stepped out of 
 the Alhambra into this family of blonde Saxons," said 
 Clifford mentally, again contrasting Mora and her 
 parents ; and while he noted the auburn hair, just 
 tinged with gray, of Mr. Estill, and the blue eyes 
 of that courtly old gentleman, the contrast with the 
 Creole daughter became so apparent that Clifford 
 must have betrayed his surprise, for he was soon 
 aware that Mrs. Estill was regarding him with an 
 uneasy expression which only served to increase his 
 perplexity. " There is a skeleton in the domestic 
 closet at EstilPs ranch," thought our young friend ; 
 " but what can the mystery be ?" 
 
 His speculations were cut short, however, by 
 Mr. Estill saying that all the cow-boys were away 
 with Hugh, shipping a " bunch of steers," omit 
 ting the fact that the modest " bunch " consisted of 
 two long train-loads of sleek, fat beeves, and that 
 the .duties of hostler devolved upon himself in their 
 absence. 
 
 The young men thereupon arose and left the 
 room with their host, who, after the manner of 
 Western people, believed in the maxim, " Love me, 
 love my dog," which finds expression in the care 
 lavished upon the horses of a welcome guest. This 
 spirit often leads to a foundered nag, however; but 
 
167 
 
 it would be a very ungrateful man, indeed, who 
 would grumble at such an evidence of esteem. 
 
 As they left the room to care for Clifford's team, 
 Mora invited Maud and Grace up to her boudoir, 
 which, she said, was so seldom visited that the 
 spiders were more at home there than herself. 
 
 "You know about how much ' elegant leisure'' 
 falls to the lot of farmers and ranch people," she 
 added. 
 
 " Yes, indeed," replied Maud, ruefully ; " what 
 with baking, scouring, and dairy-work, we have not 
 much time for frivolous dissipation." 
 
 " Oh, what a lovely room !" screamed Grace in 
 delight. " If I had such a sweet boudoir I M steal 
 an hour at least every day to play the heroine, even 
 if the bread burned and the dishes went unwashed 
 in consequence," she added, rapturously. 
 
 " When up here I often dream that I am a grand 
 lady," said Mora, gaily ; " but when I catch a glimpse 
 in the mirror of a frumpy, frouzy creature with a 
 towel over her head, then I awake to the sad reality 
 that I am only the slave of. circumstances." 
 
 Grace would have been perfectly justified, how 
 ever, in indulging in day-dreams in such a place ; 
 for a more elegant apartment, or one where greater 
 taste was evinced in every detail of adornment, was 
 rarely to be seen in the West. 
 
 It was situated at the south end of the upper 
 hall, and opened out upon the balcony by a door of 
 plate glass, thick and beveled, through which could 
 be seen the flashing fountain on the terrace below 
 and a landscape of surpassing beauty. The wooded 
 
168 
 
 stream wound away down the prairie valley, which 
 was dotted with innumerable ricks of wild-hay ; the 
 white stone walls which fenced the ranch ran far 
 out onto the highlands, dimly defining the bound 
 aries of the great estate. 
 
 The walls of the elegant apartment were draped 
 with and paneled by carmine and cream colored 
 silk, relieved by lines of white. A carpet of creamy 
 velvet was strewn with moss-roses of the same shade 
 of carmine, with all the furniture upholstered to 
 correspond. The walls were graced not crowded 
 by a tall beveled mirror of French plate and some 
 delicious paintings, framed in gilt. The low mantel 
 was of Italian marble, white, dappled and veined with 
 red shading to faintest rose. Vases of Sevres china, 
 statuettes of bronze, and elegantly bound volumes 
 were seen on every hand. There was a table of 
 mosaic, on which was a basket of fancy-work, that, 
 Miss Estill said, was destined never to be finished. 
 Through the draped door-way, on the east, could 
 be seen the snowy, lace-canopied bed of the mistress 
 of all this splendor. The sunlight, sifting through 
 the tops of the elms which grew below the terrace, 
 shone in fitful bars of amber on a picture which 
 was riveting the attention of Maud, who sprang up 
 from her velvet chair and cried with enthusiasm : 
 
 " Oh Grace ! it is ' Sunset on the Smoky Hill/ 
 do n't you see the Iron Mound looming up with 
 vague mystery? The serpentine river, fringed by 
 trees, is the Saline ; and there, winding down from 
 the north, is the stately Solomon ; while here at 
 our feet flows the Smoky Hill betweenit s timbered 
 
MORA ESTILL'S PAINTING. 169 
 
 banks. See that white blot, far out to the east, ris 
 ing in the evening mirage, it must be Fort Riley ! 
 There is Abilene ; and all along the wide prairie 
 valley, flanked by bold grassy headlands, are white 
 villages and golden fields of wheat. Here, nestling 
 down in the broad valley among the groves at the 
 base of the Iron Mound, is Salina which reminds 
 me of Damascus, with its rivers of Abana and 
 Pharpar. Out to the south-west see that long line 
 of purple, jagged buttes, over which eternally hovers 
 a smoky haze, those are the Smoky Hills ! Look 
 at the twilight stealing down through their gorges. 
 Oh, it is like a glimpse of heaven ! Mora Mora ! 
 who could have painted this ?" she said, with tears 
 of genuine emotion. Then seeing Miss Estill blush 
 ing hotly, she and Grace impulsively kissed the 
 young artist Maud saying with a little quaver 
 of emotion : 
 
 " Mora Estill, you dear, gifted creature do you 
 know that you are a genius?' 7 
 
 "I am not so certain of that, for I am often 
 led to believe in Hugh's criticisms. He says that 
 my best pictures are very similar in appearance to 
 a newly flayed beefs-hide." Then, as the others 
 gave vent to shrieks of feminine amazement, Miss 
 Estill continued merrily : " I had a letter from 
 him yesterday. He is at Kansas City, you know. 
 Would you believe it ? he sent an order for me to 
 paint the sign for a butcher's shop. The aggravat 
 ing fellow charged me, carefully, to put a sufficient 
 number of limbs on the figure of a cow that was to 
 adorn the sign. Then he proceeded with a whole 
 
 15 
 
170 AN ART CRITIC " BEEF TO THE HEEL." 
 
 page of caution, in which he charged me to avoid 
 the fatal error of painting claws upon the animal's 
 hoofs. There followed a long homily, showing the 
 dire results of such a slight mistake the innuendo 
 and sarcasm, the cold suspicion and cruel neglect, 
 that would alight upon the head of a butcher who 
 was suspected of making beef of an animal that 
 wore claws. 
 
 " This picture of Lake Inman," said Miss Estill, 
 as the laughing group moved forward to where a 
 beautiful painting hung, " Hugh persists in calling 
 ' The Knot Hole ;' and in his letter he said that as 
 to the horns of the animal which was to adorn the 
 sign, they were a matter of indifference to the 
 public, and I could keep them for the trunks of the 
 ' stately elms ' in my next landscape, and I might 
 transplant them with great success to the shores 
 of Lake Inman, which you see is badly in need 
 of shade." 
 
 " I ? d just like to teach him," said Grace, inad 
 vertently ; but seeing the amused look which Maud 
 shot at Miss Estill she hesitated with a blush, while 
 Mora quickly exclaimed : 
 
 " Oh, I believe he is beginning to learn of late; 
 but I hope you will give him a lesson in poetry, 
 for I found an effusion among his papers, where he 
 had evidently forgotten it, that will bear a great 
 deal of revision;" and she took from a bronze cabi 
 net a paper whereon was written, in lame and 
 halting couplets, an apostrophe " To My Love." 
 
 But the author had failed so signally to secure 
 either rhyme or measure, that the girls shrieked 
 
TENDER SENTIMENTS. 171 
 
 aloud as Mora read long verses of the most trivial 
 nonsense and doggerel, where " golden tresses/ 7 
 " had went/ 7 and " blue eyes " were mingled with 
 loving ardor, but very bad grammar. 
 
 As the verses progressed, the sentiment became 
 more tender, but the diction and measure were per 
 fectly appalling in their untutored originality. At 
 each new limp or poetical hobble, the girls would 
 laugh gaily ; but when Mora looked at Grace with 
 a significant smile, the application of the following 
 lines was readily seen : 
 
 " My love she's golden hair and eyes 
 
 Of deepest, finest blue. 
 1 love her better than [' Gooseberry pies!' cried 
 
 Maud] any thing, 
 My heart will always be true to you." 
 
 Although the author had promoted his lady love 
 from the obscure position of third person to the 
 station of second person in the space of a second, 
 yet even this was not enough to induce Grace to 
 remain longer; for she fled away with burning 
 blushes, while Mora still continued to read lines, 
 the syntax of which disclosed the revolting fact that 
 their author had throttled his own mother tongue, 
 had slain persons without regard to sex or condition, 
 and, like a vandal, had cut off the feet of his best 
 subject at some critical moment. 
 
 At the close Miss Estill folded the paper, and 
 as she placed it in a cabinet she said, it would yet 
 serve to pay off some old scores with Hugh. She 
 must have kept her word, for on his return he was 
 immeasurably shocked on opening his county paper 
 
172 MIL.KING-TIME. 
 
 to see, staring at him from the first page : "A Poem 
 To My Love. By H. E." 
 
 After Mr. Estill had praised the dappled Nor 
 mans and cared for them in a very hospitable manner, 
 he led the young men out to a near-by pasture to 
 show them his Jersey cows. While they were ad 
 miring the graceful animals, their host said: 
 
 " For twenty-five years we had either depended 
 on Texan cows for milk, or had used the concen 
 trated article without even once thinking .of the 
 folly of such a course. We had so long been ac 
 customed to seeing the herders lasso the wild, infu 
 riated creatures before milking them, that we had 
 actually forgotten there was any other way. It may 
 have been owing to our trusting the operation 
 wholly to the cow-boys that no progress was made 
 in subduing the animals or reducing them to a 
 domestic state ; but we never had thought it safe 
 to allow a woman inside of the corral since that 
 morning, a score of years ago, when my wife had 
 been kicked insensible by a beast that she had 
 attempted to milk. One evening, after Mora had 
 returned from Cincinnati, she witnessed the usual 
 proceedings in the milk-yard, two broad-hatted and 
 bespurred herders lassoing a cow. Then, after tying 
 her head to one post and hind-foot to another, one 
 of the valiant milk-men stripped a few streams of 
 the precious fluid into a cup, while his partner stood 
 by, whip in hand, ready to punish any movement 
 on the part of the bellowing brute. Only then did 
 she realize how infamously undairy-like the affair 
 
A CAPACIOUS RANCH. 173 
 
 really was. When I met her a few moments later, 
 she said with a shade of contempt in her tone : 
 
 " ' Oh, why do you allow such barbarous work 
 on the ranch?' 
 
 " ( But, my dear,' I replied, ' there is no other 
 way. Why, I would rather tackle a mountain lion 
 than one of those fiery creatures while she is loose.' 
 
 " ' Then, why not buy some Jerseys ?' Mora said. 
 
 "Yes, indeed, why not? I thought, and so I 
 lost no time over deliberations, but wrote at once 
 to Major Kingsbury, who sent me these gentle 
 creatures, which now we value above anything else 
 on the ranch." 
 
 Nothing was said about the vast herds, the 
 thousands of fat cattle grazing out over the great 
 pastures around ; but the visitors were impressed 
 with the evidence of great wealth visible on every 
 hand. The capacious corral and innumerable ricks 
 of prairie-hay bore mute testimony to the thrift and 
 opulence which reigned at the Estill ranch. 
 
 As Mr. Estill led the way back to the dwelling 
 he said : 
 
 " Hugh will be greatly disappointed when he 
 learns that he has missed your visit. I have been 
 away with him for the last fortnight, and only 
 returned last evening, when I learned from my 
 wife that that my children had a very pleasant 
 day up at your place." Then in a constrained voice 
 he added : " I would like to meet your father, Mr. 
 Warlow ; for there is a subject which I would like 
 very much to discuss with him." 
 
 "My father expressed a wish to make your 
 
174 A PICTURED LANDSCAPE. 
 
 acquaintance also ; for it appears that he is anxious 
 to discuss the early history of this country with 
 you/' Clifford replied. 
 
 Mr. Estill seemed greatly agitated on hearing 
 this ; but when about to reply, dinner was announced, 
 and he arose and led the way into the long, walnut- 
 paneled dining-room. All this time Clifford was 
 mutely wondering why the wealthy old ranchman 
 should be so anxious to meet his father. 
 
 "Can it be that the cattle-king is opposed to 
 the intimacy growing up between myself and his 
 daughter?" young Warlow asked himself. Then 
 he thought of the friendly manner of his host, and 
 rejected the idea at once. 
 
 They were soon gaily chatting over the soup; 
 but as Clifford's eye glanced along the wall his 
 attention was attracted by a painting, which hung 
 where the light fell upon it in such a way as to 
 bring out every detail with perfect clearness. In 
 its foreground was a mammoth tree, shading the 
 gables of a stone cottage ; a ruined wall, half smoth 
 ered by vines. Across the stream, which had half 
 encircled the knoll where the building stood, were 
 fields of ripening grain, that rippled in the billowy 
 waves, stirred and tossed by the summer breeze, 
 wheat of coppery red or palest gold, the silvery 
 sheen of rye and oats contrasting with the tawny 
 prairie and dark, green groves, through which 
 shimmered the brook and pools that he recognized 
 as old friends. 
 
 As his eye sought the author of this delicate 
 compliment, which was a truthful picture of his 
 
RANCH FARE. 175 
 
 place the Old Corral he caught Miss EstilPs 
 amused look ; for she had been watching the pleased 
 surprise which had grown upon his face as he 
 realized what the picture really was. His glance 
 must have been very expressive in reply ; for a 
 blush swept over her face, usually serene in its 
 quiet dignity, or vicacious with blithesome wit, and 
 her blue eyes retreated behind their long lashes a 
 guilty admission that she was the artist who had 
 painted the scene. 
 
 This silent by-play was not unnoticed, quiet as 
 it all seemed ; for as Clifford turned to take the plate 
 of rare good things which the host passed to him, 
 he encountered the eyes of Mrs. Estill fixed upon 
 him; but the lady smiled with a look of such 
 evident enjoyment of the situation that he half 
 forgot that Mr. Estill still held the plate, which 
 young Warlow seized with an air which was neither 
 as graceful nor self-possessed as a hero should 
 have worn. 
 
 With ready tact Mrs. Estill came to the rescue 
 by saying: 
 
 " It all looks strange, no doubt, that I treat you 
 to a ranch fare of canned beef from St. Louis, and 
 vegetables from Baltimore and Rochester, but if it 
 were not for our Jerseys we should have been com 
 pelled to call on Chicago for condensed milk also. 
 I never realized the absurdity of this course until 
 Mora told me of the luxuriant gardens and fields 
 of grain which you are raising in the upper valley. 
 Why, Hugh says it is a marvel how prosperous 
 everything appears up there." 
 
176 A FORBIDDEN SUBJECT. 
 
 " We never before have regarded this as a farm 
 ing country; it has remained for your brave colony 
 to explode that fallacy ; and I hope your prosperity 
 may be as lasting as it is merited," said Mr. Estill. 
 
 An hour was spent in the parlor after dinner ; 
 then a long stroll followed out among the cedars to 
 the north of the dwelling. Here Mora and Clifford 
 soon found themselves deserted by their companions, 
 and were left to their own* resources for entertain 
 ment. 
 
 They had been longing, no doubt, for this mo 
 ment to arrive; so we will not intrude a proceed 
 ing that would be alike odious to the couple and 
 cruel to the reader ; but when they emerged an 
 hour later from the jungle of evergreens, Mora was 
 heard to say : 
 
 " I can not imagine why mamma was so agitated 
 when I told her. She never was affected by any 
 thing before. But she positively forbade my men 
 tioning the subject again in her presence. When I 
 begged her to tell why she talked so strangely, she 
 replied that the story of the old tragedy had com 
 pletely unnerved her; and then she again questioned 
 me as to every detail of that terrible affair." 
 
 " No doubt the remembrance of those early days, 
 their danger and trials, all recurred with painful 
 minuteness as you related the story, Miss Estill, for 
 your parents were residing here at the time of that 
 sorrowful event/ 7 Clifford replied. 
 
 " No ; I fear that there is some deeper reason yet ; 
 for when papa returned from Abilene whither he 
 had been with Hugh shipping cattle mother sought 
 
A FORBIDDEN SUBJECT. 177 
 
 an interview alone with him, and when I came into 
 the room he said that I must be very careful to 
 avoid the subject in the future. My parents never 
 could be taxed with being sentimental of that I 
 am certain. But what the mystery can be for a 
 mystery it certainly is I am at a loss to conjec 
 ture." 
 
 " The air seems full of mystery since you and 
 my father met," replied Clifford; "but I hope it will 
 soon be all explained, Miss Estill." 
 
 " I was very glad to see you come to-day ; for 
 although papa only arrived last night, he had con 
 cluded to go up to see Colonel Warlow at once. 
 
 " I can't guess why he seems so anxious about 
 meeting him. I tried bribery with a kiss; but he 
 would not tell me why he was going would always 
 evade my question by replying that it was business, 
 only, that prompted the visit." 
 
 " He must be very obdurate, indeed, not to yield 
 on such terms," Clifford replied, with a look which 
 betrayed how willingly he would surrender at such 
 a proposition. 
 
 You have discovered, no doubt, that although 
 our friend Warlow often spoke with his eyes, yet he 
 allowed the lady to do three-fourths of the talking. 
 This is a very dangerous experiment for an un 
 fettered youth to indulge in; for I have always ob 
 served that when a fluent, silvery-tongued woman 
 finds a ready listener, provided the victim be young, 
 handsome, and manly, she first becomes more fluent, 
 then, when answered in monosyllables, she shows 
 her admiration of his "great conversational powers," 
 
 16 
 
178 A FOEBIDDEN SUBJECT. 
 
 and proceeds to make herself irresistible and capti 
 vating at once all of which ends in chains and 
 slavery for the brilliant listener. 
 
 After a moment's silence, Miss Estill said : 
 
 " I notice a strange change has come over you 
 since we last met, Mr. Warlow. Is it possible that 
 you, also, have been seized by that strange infection 
 of mystery which seems to possess all my friends in 
 the last few weeks?" 
 
 " Why, Miss Estill, do you really think me 
 changed?" Clifford replied, with due regard to the 
 three-fourths rule. 
 
 At that moment the other members of the party 
 came up and proposed returning, thus precluding 
 Miss Estill's answer. 
 
 As the guests were taking their leave, Mr. Estill 
 said, in reply to their cordial invitations to visit 
 them, that he would drive up the next day in company 
 with his wife, that he had business with Colonel 
 Warlow, and that himself and wife would call upon 
 the Moreland family, if it would be agreeable to 
 that family to receive them. 
 
 On hearing nothing but great pleasure expressed 
 at this announcement, the matter was settled defi 
 nitely in that way ; then the guests took their leave, 
 and drove home through the cool twilight, vaguely 
 wondering what business Mr. Estill could have to 
 transact with Colonel Warlow. 
 
PHANTOMS OF THE PAST. 179 
 
 Chapter XIV. 
 
 EARLY next morning Clifford rode away, on 
 the pretext that he was going to buy cattle of 
 a ranchman in the next county; but his absence 
 was mainly owing to the fact that he suspected the 
 Estill visit was in some way connected with his 
 intimacy with Mora ; so he had decided that he 
 would take himself off, and thereby avoid a dis 
 agreeable scene. 
 
 The cattle-king and his wife arrived at an early 
 hour, although they had called a moment at the 
 Moreland homestead and given a promise that they 
 would stop for an early tea on their return home 
 ward from the Warlows. When they had been in 
 troduced by Maud, the colonel and Mr. Estill went 
 to the stable to care for the team, and when that 
 important rite of hospitality had been duly observed 
 the gentlemen rejoined their wives in the Warlow 
 parlor. 
 
 Robbie was away in the fields with the farm 
 men; Maud was busy with household cares, on 
 the plea of which she had absented herself from 
 the parlor. The kitchen, which was the scene of 
 her culinary operations, was situated in an ell of 
 the building, and as she stood by a window that 
 looked directly through into one in the parlor, she 
 could see and hear a great deal that was transpiring 
 therein. 
 
180 PHANTOMS OF THE PAST. 
 
 An hour after the arrival of the guests she was 
 standing by this open window, putting the last 
 touches of frosting on a cooca-nut cake, and so 
 deeply, indeed, was she engrossed with her labors 
 that she had failed to observe what the situation 
 really was in the parlor, until she heard a hoarse 
 cry : 
 
 " Oh God ! it is Bruce and Ivarene !" and as 
 she glanced hastily into the room she beheld a 
 sight that perplexed and mystified her for long 
 days thereafter. Her father stood by the window 
 holding a jeweled locket in his hand ; but at that 
 moment he lowered the window-curtain, thus shut 
 ting off all view of the parlor. 
 
 When, an hour later, Mrs. Warlow came into 
 the kitchen, traces of tears were visible on her 
 usually placid face; and when Maud, unable any 
 longer to restrain her curiosity, eagerly asked the 
 meaning of the mysterious conclave in the parlor, 
 her mother evaded answering; so Maud wisely 
 concluded to await her parents' confidence, which 
 she felt certain of sharing at the proper time. 
 
 At dinner Colonel Warlow ate but little of the 
 tempting food ; and the guests, although they 
 praised the roast-chicken with its savory dressing, 
 the delicate float and frosted cake, left their plates 
 almost untouched. 
 
 When the constrained and quiet meal was 
 finished, and all had returned to the parlor but 
 Maud, Rob came back again to the table, and as 
 that youth, with an unappeasable appetite, helped 
 
PHANTOMS OF THE PAST. 181 
 
 himself to a plateful of "stuffing" and gravy, he 
 turned to his sister and said : 
 
 " What 's the matter now, Maud ? The colonel 
 seems to be all broke up ; and that old Lady Estill 
 by grab! she looked like death on a a white 
 pony ! Mother, too, appeared as if she might have 
 been sniffling; but that's nothing but a common 
 pastime with her. You know that all women, 
 more or less yourself included, madam are very 
 much given to the chicken-hearted habit of dribbling 
 at the nose." 
 
 " Chicken-hearted, indeed ! It is a great won 
 der, then, that you did not devour us long ago, sir !" 
 said Maud, with a great show of asperity, but very 
 glad to lead the subject into other channels and 
 elude further questioning ; for she saw by her 
 mother's manner that there was something about 
 the Estill visit which they wished, for unknown 
 reasons, to keep secret, and it was a matter of 
 honor with the noble-hearted girl to help them 
 conceal what she herself was longing to know. 
 
 " Well, big guns of the Estill calibre don't go 
 off on slight occasions," persisted Rob, with his 
 mouth half-full of the adored " stuffing," and as 
 he reached for a tall glass of ruby-colored plum- 
 jelly, Maud quickly said : 
 
 " Won't you have a bit of the cake, Rob ?" 
 
 "Thanks yes," said he, as he helped himself 
 to the last solitary quarter of that frosted dainty ; 
 " and I would be pleased to taste a morsel of that 
 chicken also," he mumbled. 
 
 " What choice, sir ?" she asked sarcastically. 
 
182 ROB AT DINNER. 
 
 " The running-gears, if you please," he replied 
 with polite gravity. 
 
 With a gesture of scorn and disgust, Maud 
 passed him the carcass of the fowl; then, after 
 filling a large platter with crusts, bones, and egg 
 shells, she placed them before him with the injunc 
 tion to help himself. Retiring to the window, she 
 watched him devour cake, chicken, jam, and potatoes 
 with an appetite that knew no discrimination. 
 
 " I am afraid you have not done justice to my 
 dishes," she said, as Rob at length arose from the 
 table. 
 
 " Oh, now don 't give us any more sarcasm," said 
 he, while picking his teeth with a broom-split. " It 
 is so long from breakfast to noon, Maud, that I just 
 get faint waiting on that slow old dinner-bell." 
 
 " No doubt ; but you remember how ravenously 
 hungry you were last week, when the pup got the 
 bell-rope in his mouth and summoned you in form 
 the field at nine in the morning," she retorted, 
 laughingly. 
 
 " Well, that was a cloudy day," he said, good- 
 naturedly ; then, taking his straw hat from its hook 
 on the porch, he hurried away to the field. 
 
 After finishing her domestic duties, Maud joined 
 the guests in the parlor, with a faint hope of learning 
 something further of the mystery which seemed to 
 enshroud their visit, of which she had got such a 
 tantalizing glimpse an hour before ; but her expecta 
 tions were, however, sadly doomed to disappoint 
 ment, for nothing was said that would throw any 
 light on the subject ; and, after spending a while at 
 
A HOME-LIKE SCENE. 183 
 
 the piano, she invited the guests out to look at her 
 flowers. 
 
 The party thereupon adjourned to the garden ; 
 and when they had admired the flowers and shrubs, 
 they sauntered on to the barn-yard, to look at the 
 peacocks and other fowls, of which Mrs. Warlow 
 was justly proud. 
 
 " I should like to take a nearer view of your 
 crops, Colonel. It has been so long since I saw a 
 well-conducted farm, that it appears quite a novelty 
 to me/' said Mr. Estill, with evident interest. 
 
 In a few moments they all embarked in the boat, 
 and were rowed up to Clifford's dwelling; for if 
 there was one thing of which the colonel was vain 
 it was his son's farming. 
 
 As they stood in the level valley south of the 
 river, a scene of perfect rural beauty was visible. 
 On the north was Clifford's gothic cottage, half 
 hidden by the drooping elm ; to the east, the chim 
 neys and gables of the Warlow homestead peeped 
 above the trees ; while out to the south, on a green 
 knoll, stood the stone school-house, with its tower 
 and rose-window. 
 
 The yellow wheat-stubble shone like gold beside 
 the silvery oats, fast ripening for the harvest; the 
 rank corn stood in clean, dark rows great squares 
 of waving green; scores of rieks were standing 
 along the valley ; while the clank of the header and 
 shouts of the workmen were borne on the breeze 
 from the neighboring field. 
 
 "Ah ! this is a very home-like scene, indeed 
 a great contrast to the one presented here just two 
 
184 PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 years ago when last I visited this spot/' said Mr. 
 Estill. " My ranch, ten miles below here, was then 
 the last settlement on the frontier. There was not 
 a human habitation in sight only antelope and 
 buffalo to vary the monotony of perfect solitude. 
 In fact, there had never been an owner for the land 
 nor a furrow turned here since the dawn of creation. 
 Marvelous change !" he added. 
 
 After crossing the stream on a foot-log, which 
 here formed a rustic bridge, they all walked up to 
 Clifford's dwelling, and while standing by the vine- 
 mantled wall of the Old Corral, the colonel said 
 in a musing tone : 
 
 " If this inanimate ruin could but speak, we 
 might learn the sequel to that tragedy which has 
 risen again, as it were, from the grave of the past. 
 The robbers were led by white men, who no doubt 
 divided the treasure amo'ng themselves while the 
 savages were stupefied with liquor." 
 
 He was interrupted by a cry of wonder from 
 Maud, who could not repress her astonishment at 
 his assertion that white men had led the Indians 
 a fact which Hugh Estill seemed to have been aware 
 of also, and which, taken in connection with the 
 incident of the miniature, led her to believe that 
 the Estills were in some way connected with the 
 massacre. 
 
 " Maud, dear, will you go and see how Clifford's 
 young catal pa-trees, down the drive, are growing? 
 and if they need cultivating again, we will send one 
 of the boys over with a plow soon," said Mrs. War- 
 low, with a warning glance ; and Miss Maud moved 
 
CURIOSITY. 185 
 
 quickly away, somewhat chagrined at her summary 
 dismissal. 
 
 As she passed along, she was pondering over 
 the strange fact that her father had at last obtained 
 a clue to the perpetrators of the outrage at the 
 corral ; and she became so deeply engrossed with 
 the thought that she was quite unmindful which 
 way her steps led, until her eye was attracted to 
 a place where the earth appeared to have been re 
 cently disturbed, and she paused a moment, vaguely 
 wondering what could have been buried there. 
 
 The tall blue stem-grass was tangled ar.d dead, 
 while the square outlines of a cavity showed through 
 the mass of dead vines and leaves, which had been 
 suspiciously strewn over the place, with a view, it 
 seemed, of concealing all trace of the disturbance. 
 She became also aware of a most disgusting odor 
 near the old cotton wood-tree ; but, unmindful of 
 this, she raked away the grass and litter to examine 
 more closely the cavity in which the soil had been 
 firmly trampled, but her curiosity was in no wise 
 abated when she discovered that it was Clifford's 
 boot-tracks that were visible in the soft, yielding 
 earth. 
 
 "What has he buried here, that he seems so 
 anxious to conceal?" she was asking herself, when 
 a puff of wind brought the odor with such added 
 strength that she nearly fainted, and was hastily re 
 treating from the proximity of that mysterious 
 place, where she feared some strange, dead thing 
 was buried, when she saw the bloated and mottled 
 form of that hideous reptile which the reader may 
 
186 A HUMAN TOOTH. 
 
 remember as having greeted a " Young Fortune 
 Hunter " one weird and murky night the week 
 before. 
 
 With a stifled shriek, Maud fled by the vile- 
 smelling and repulsive object, which she saw at a 
 glance was mangled and dead ; then, as she slowly 
 returned and walked south of the reptile, she sur 
 veyed it carefully, and saw, with a shudder, that it 
 was a hideous rattlesnake, with its head severed 
 from the body. Appalled at the thought that it 
 was her brother who had slain this formidable 
 monster, the bite of which, while living, she knew 
 meant certain death, she was retreating again from 
 the place, pale and trembling, but paused at the ex 
 cavation, to wonder, even then, what it meant, when 
 her eye, which was scanning the ground carefully, 
 caught sight of a curious, small Abject lying at 
 her feet. 
 
 Stooping and picking it up, she was disgusted 
 and surprised to see that it was a human tooth. 
 She was about to dash it down again, when a 
 thought seemed to occur that caused her to look 
 carefully about for some minutes; then, as nothing 
 else was found, she stripped some leaves from a 
 grape-vine near, and, after wrapping them about the 
 tooth, she put it carefully away in her purse, and 
 then returned to where her parents and guests were 
 embarking for home. As they rowed down the 
 willow-fringed stream, nothing was said concerning 
 the strange discoveries that had been made that 
 day, and on arriving at the house, the visitors pre 
 pared to take an early departure. As Mrs. Estill 
 
187 
 
 stepped into the carriage, Mrs. War-low gave a 
 promise that she would drive down to the Estill 
 ranch one day that week. 
 
 Clifford returned late that evening with some 
 animals which he had bought; and, as all was 
 hurry and bustle, and several laborers remained 
 over night, there was no chance for confidential 
 conversation among the younger members of the 
 Warlow family. But the next morning broke with 
 a lowering sky, and the misty rain which followed 
 precluded any effort at farm-work ; so the laborers 
 went to their respective homes, leaving the house 
 to its customary quiet. 
 
 As Rob was plodding about in the rain and 
 whistling shrill as a locust, he was signaled by 
 Maud, who stood out by the gate, and when the 
 youth joined her they held a low, hurried conversa 
 tion for a few minutes ; then Rob darted down to 
 the boat, and rowed rapidly up the stream. 
 
 He was gone but a few minutes, however, when 
 he returned flushed and excited, and placed some 
 thing, which was wrapped in leaves, into Maud's 
 outstretched hand. 
 
 " How did you manage it ?" she said in a low 
 tone, as they paused under an ash-tree near the river. 
 
 " Why, that was easy enough I just put my 
 boot on his snakeship's tail, then taking hold of the 
 rattles with a handful of leaves and here they 
 are. But oh fury ! how it did smell, though !" 
 he added in disgust. " Fourteen rattles and a 
 button ! Do n't that beat the snake-tale of the 
 oldest inhabitant, Maud ?" 
 
188 A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 
 
 Then, without awaiting a reply, he added, out 
 of breath with excitement: 
 
 " Cliff had a shocking time of it up there last 
 Friday night, for this is only a small part of his 
 experience." 
 
 "Rob what oh, what can you mean?" cried 
 Maud, in wildest excitement. 
 
 " Well, I do n't know much ; but this much I 
 did learn by guessing at it first, then making him 
 own up; for Cliff is as" close-mouthed as an oyster. 
 From what I could learn, it appears that, while 
 prowling about that night like a vagrant tom-cat, 
 our good-looking brother ran into that old spectre 
 which shrieked so like a demon that night by the 
 camp-fire. This time, of course, it gave him the 
 slip, as it always does," he answered. 
 
 " You do not mean to say that horrible sight 
 has been seen again, Rob?" 
 
 After cautioning her not to raise such a racket, 
 Rob proceeded to tell of his encounter, and also what 
 he had learned of Clifford's experience likewise. 
 
 " Oh, Rob what a horribly unreal thing it all 
 seems ! But everywhere there is so much of mys 
 tery that I am almost wild," she cried, with a good 
 deal of incoherence. 
 
 " Why was Clifford digging about the old cot- 
 tonwood that night, Rob?" she added, after a mo 
 ment's pause; but, as her brother only expressed 
 both surprise and ignorance, she continued : " But 
 this is not all, Robbie ; for I made a most startling 
 discovery to-day one which throws a gloomy light 
 on the old tragedy of Bruce and his wife." 
 
A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 189 
 
 " Why, thicker and thicker !" cried Rob. " But 
 what kind of a mareVnest did you run into this 
 time, Maud?" he added. 
 
 In reply, Maud told of seeing the locket, and 
 of hearing her father exclaim that it contained the 
 pictures of Bruce and his wife, and the strange 
 assertion which he had made while the Estills were 
 standing by the ruined wall. 
 
 " But how did the locket ever get into the 
 Estills' hands?" Rob said, with a perplexed look; 
 then, after a moment, he added, excitedly : 
 
 " Oh, now I know what father and Mr. Estill 
 were talking about in the barn. I had just stepped 
 into the upper hall-way to lay a fork on the rack 
 you know how strict father always was about our 
 putting everything in its proper place so, to save 
 myself a blowing up, I went out of my way and 
 had left the fork there, and was about to hurry on 
 to the well for a jug of water, when I heard Mr. 
 Estill say : 
 
 "'This must be a matter of sacred confidence 
 between us, Colonel ; for if it were known that any 
 one of my people had participated in that affair, or 
 had been engaged in the murder, there are people 
 who are malicious enough, no doubt, to connect 
 myself and wife with the crime ; and for that reason 
 alone I have always kept the matter a profound 
 secret, even from Hugh and Mora. The locket 
 was set with rubies and engraved with the name 
 which, you see, we have used, and have only short 
 ened; but she has never learned its origin, nor 
 anything of the tragedy.' 
 
190 A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 
 
 " Then, after a moment, he continued, after father 
 had said something which I could not quite catch : 
 
 "'If Olin Estill had only lived, the mystery 
 might have been explained; but I found him dead 
 and mangled beyond all resemblance to a human 
 nothing to identify his remains but the tattered 
 clothing, which I recognized; for the wolves had 
 torn his limbs away, and left his skeleton bleaching 
 out on the prairie. Yet the strangest part of it all 
 is the mysterious resemblance of the faces in that 
 miniature to Mora and your son. Why, my wife 
 was terribly agitated when she first met that boy 
 of yours ; for he is the perfect counterpart of the 
 picture of your friend, who must have died years 
 before either of those children were born. Mora's 
 resemblance to Ivarene ' 
 
 "About that time I grew weary of such rot, and 
 did not pay any further attention to what they said. 
 How much more I might have heard I can 't guess ; 
 for I hurried away to the well, as I was mortal 
 thirsty and tired. I am sorry now that I did n't 
 stay and hear it out, for there certainly is some 
 thing up." 
 
 While talking thus they had sauntered on into 
 the house ; and while they stood by the parlor door 
 Rob had made the concluding remark, which Clif 
 ford chanced to overhear, as he came upon them 
 silently through the carpeted hall. 
 
 " Here, you young conspirators out with it, 
 and confess at once ' what ? s up/ as this bold rob 
 ber says with such an air of deep mystery," Clif 
 ford said, with a smile of curiosity. 
 
CONFIDENTIAL CONFERENCE. 191 
 
 Maud looked up with a flash of resentment in 
 her honest Warlow eyes; for she did not half like 
 the idea of this Adonis-like brother keeping any 
 thing from her. Thrusting her hand into her 
 pocket, she drew out her porte-monnaie, as he 
 continued : 
 
 "Well, Maud, did you learn anything yester 
 day ?" while an anxious look crept into his face. 
 
 "Yes, I learned this!" she replied, while hold 
 ing out her hand, in which, resting on a piece of 
 muslin, was a human tooth, and that long, reticu 
 lated tissue, which he saw at a glance was the rat 
 tles of the enormous reptile he had encountered 
 while digging for the treasure. 
 
 He looked at them in a startled, wondering 
 way for a moment; then, as if comprehending it 
 all, he said: 
 
 "Ah, yes the rattles! But the tooth that 
 is the hardest part of all." 
 
 Maud and Rob could not restrain a smile at the 
 ghastly pun ; but the former replied : 
 
 "I found them where you had been digging, 
 near the old cotton wood-tree. We know about the 
 rattlesnake and that gray-robed figure, which was 
 the same one that startled us by the camp-fire, I 
 really believe. But that human tooth? I shall 
 certainly go raving mad if you keep anything 
 further from me." 
 
 Clifford glanced from her pale face to that of 
 Rob, which wore a look of startled perplexity. 
 
 " I find it impossible to keep anything from 
 your sharp eyes. So it is myself, after all, who 
 
192 CONFIDENTIAL CONFERENCE. 
 
 has to confess!" he said, seating himself on the 
 divan. 
 
 Then, while the rain lashed the windows and 
 the chill wind waile^ through the tree-tops without, 
 he told that story of midnight horror. When he 
 finished, Maud was pale and tearful, and Hob's 
 hazel eyes were round with mute astonishment. 
 
 v " But Maud, did you learn the reason of Mr. 
 Ess that is Mora's folks well why they came 
 up yesterday ?" Clifford managed at length to say 
 in a confused manner, that revealed a great deal of 
 uneasiness on his part, which was not at all lost on 
 the sharp-eyed couple beside him. 
 
 Then, drying her tears, Maud told of the strange 
 revelations which the visit of the Estills had dis 
 closed ; and when she repeated the singular con 
 versation which Robbie had overheard in the barn, 
 Clifford cried out excitedly : 
 
 " Ah ! that was the mysterious kinsman who 
 Mora said was buried on the hill- top at Estill 
 Ranch. He was one of the robbers who perpetrated 
 the outrage at the corral years ago. A bandit and 
 murderer ! 'T is no wonder that nothing but net- ' 
 ties ever grow on that grave. It was through him, 
 Maud, that they obtained the locket, with its 
 picture of Bruce and Ivarene. But it can not be 
 that Mr. Estill derived his great wealth from the 
 same source ! If so, he never would have be 
 trayed himself by showing the pictures of the 
 people that were murdered by his own kinsman. 
 What, then, became of the great treasure?" he 
 
CONFIDENTIAL CONFERENCE. 193 
 
 sadly asked. But no one seemed able to answer 
 his question ; for the whole affair had now assumed 
 a tone of mystery such as it had never worn 
 
 before. 
 
 17 
 
194 A CLUE TO THE MYSTERY. 
 
 Chapter XV. 
 
 "TT 7HY should they have given 'her' the name 
 VV which was on the locket? and who was 
 the mysterious female that never had learned of the 
 tragical circumstance?" said Maud, with a puzzled 
 face. 
 
 "I am unable to answer your question, Maud," 
 Clifford replied; but there was something in his 
 manner that led the sharp-eyed couple before him 
 to suspect he had detected some clue which had 
 eluded them in their investigations of the mystery. 
 
 " Cliff, what the deuce was that old skull doing 
 in the cask ?" said Rob, innocently ; but, seeing the 
 look of amusement on his brother's face, he added : 
 "Or I mean to ask, how came it there?" 
 
 " To answer your first question I shall have to 
 remind you that a dead man's skull has a very limited 
 field of action, confined principally to the pastime 
 of rolling over and rattling its teeth when touched ; 
 but how or why it was there, seems only known to 
 the ill-natured ophidian which kept it such close 
 company," Clifford replied, with his usual strain of 
 jocular sarcasm. 
 
 "Oh dear!" said Maud, drearily, while drum 
 ming on the misty window-pane. "It is very ex 
 asperating to be shut up in a house on such a day, 
 where every closet is Tull of skeletons, and not 
 dare to peep into one of them," she added. 
 
A CLUE TO THE MYSTEEY. 195 
 
 " But Cliff has been peeping, and with won 
 derful luck, too," Rob observed, dryly. 
 
 " Oh, I am not the first fortune hunter who 
 has found a skull or serpent where he had hoped 
 to find gold !" Clifford replied, with perfect good 
 nature. 
 
 "Oh, Clifford, I shudder to think of the danger 
 you passed through on that terrible night all 
 alone in that dismal place, fighting that venomous 
 monster, with death in its fangs, while the gray- 
 robed demon hovered near with its fiery eyes and 
 blood-chilling scream," said Maud, tearfully, while 
 winding her arm about her brother's neck. 
 
 "Now, dear, soft-hearted Maud, you must re 
 member that the path of those who strive for pelf 
 is thickly beset by demons and serpents, although 
 they may wear the human guise and lurk in the 
 shadow of friendship. Many, many are the skele 
 tons of dead hopes and buried dreams that start 
 up as the graves of the past are disturbed," Clifford 
 replied. 
 
 " But you shall never spend another night alone 
 up at that ill-omened dwelling, Clifford ; for Rob 
 shall go with you hereafter," she said, while drying 
 her tears. 
 
 "Well, but suppose I might choose some fair 
 lady to grace my spectre-haunted home that would 
 answer as well?" he replied, gaily. 
 
 "Oh! that would be a capital plan indeed; but 
 I shall insist on the right to choose her," his sister 
 cried, with returning animation. 
 
 " Oh ! you are growing very liberal, to say the 
 
196 A CLUE TO THE MYSTERY. 
 
 least, Miss Maud. I guess you will have to be 
 satisfied with second choice," said Cliff. 
 
 After talking awhile over the mystery which 
 had woven such a tangled web about their home in 
 the last few days, Maud exclaimed : 
 
 "Robbie, dear, won't you go and ask father what 
 name was engraved on the locket? Also learn 
 all that is possible, for I am just dying of anxiety ;" 
 but as he began to smile with derision, she added, 
 coaxingly : "Now do go, Rob, please; that's a 
 man ; father never refuses you anything." 
 
 " Catch me at it !" cried Rob, with a shrug. " I 
 do n't hanker much after the dry job of pumping 
 the colonel," he added, winking at Clifford sig 
 nificantly. 
 
 " No, no, Maud, that would never do. Let us 
 await the confidence of our parents, and try, in the 
 meantime, to pick up what facts we can. Who 
 knows," he added, " but we may stumble on to 
 some great discovery ?" 
 
 Little, indeed, did he suspect the great revela 
 tions which the day held in store for them, and 
 that events were about to transpire which would 
 change the tenor of their whole lives. 
 
 At Mrs. Warlow's entrance the conversation took 
 on a less sombre hue, and when she told of the 
 news confirming the great land-sale which was soon 
 to be held at the land office a fact which she had 
 learned from the Estills it was proposed to take 
 a drive out over the country north-east, and find a 
 section for Maud and Rob, which the colonel would 
 buy for their benefit at the sale. 
 
THE MYSTERIOUS TRAIL. 197 
 
 Accordingly, after dinner, as the weather had 
 cleared, the Warlow family drove out and viewed a 
 well-watered, rolling tract, equal in extent to the 
 farms of the colonel and Clifford. After an hour 
 spent thus, it was thought advisable to drive on 
 westward and examine a country which, in their 
 busy farm-life, had never been viewed, save at a 
 distance. 
 
 On arriving at a point about three miles west 
 of their home, they drove down into a narrow val 
 ley or glen, clothed with tall blue-stem and rank 
 sunflowers, now beginning to unfold their golden 
 blossoms. This jungle of vegetation was woven 
 together by the slender, leafless tendrils of the love- 
 vine, which threw a veil of coppery red over the 
 brilliant green of the other vegetation. 
 
 While driving slowly through this almost im 
 pervious mass of vegetation, they discovered a wind 
 ing but well-beaten trail or pathway, leading on 
 down the valley, and which, out of pure curiosity, 
 they followed until it disappeared in a thicket of 
 plum-trees at the base of a low cliff of magnesian 
 limestone. 
 
 As they paused at the scrubby grove, wondering 
 what could have made the path, Clifford sprang out 
 of the carriage, saying he would like to investigate 
 the matter, and disappeared among the trees. He 
 was gone so long that, after they had called him 
 repeatedly, Rob was on the point of starting in 
 search, when Clifford reappeared. As he sprang 
 into the carriage their questioning was forestalled 
 by his saying that the path was possibly made by 
 
198 THE SECRET CELL. 
 
 wolves, and that he had been examining the cliff, 
 but had not succeeded in finding their den. 
 
 He appeared so pale and agitated, however, that 
 Maud regarded him suspiciously ; and when the 
 horses flew up the glen along the winding pathway 
 and through tangled thickets of blue-stem and sun 
 flowers, she managed to ask in a whisper : 
 
 " What have you discovered, Cliff?" 
 
 "A clue to the old mystery but wait," he 
 whispered in reply; and in silence they drove 
 rapidly back to the Warlow homestead. 
 
 As the boys were leading the horses into the 
 barn, Maud called for them to assist her in nailing 
 up some of the lattice which the wind had shaken 
 down in her arbor; and when they joined her a few 
 minutes later in the vine-clad bower, she cried in a 
 low, eager tone: 
 
 " Clifford Clifford ! what did you see in that 
 thicket?" 
 
 " Yes, out with it>-quiek !" said Rob ; " for I 
 know by your looks that you saw something queer 
 up there." 
 
 " The pathway, " said Clifford, hurriedly, 
 "plunged into the thicket of plums; then, after 
 winding about in a mazy labyrinth, it led up to the 
 base of a low cliff of limestone, and there ended so 
 abruptly that I was puzzled to know what to make 
 of it, but noticing that the heavy festoon of grape 
 vines that hung down from the soil above, looked 
 as if they had been disturbed, I hastily drew them 
 aside. Imagine my surprise when a rough door was 
 revealed, hung in the face of the cliff. Drawing it 
 
THE SECRET CELL. 199 
 
 open, there was disclosed a low cell or cavern, which 
 had been partly carved out of the soft magnesian 
 limestone. Peering into the room, I became satis 
 fied that it was empty of human occupants. 
 
 " The room was not more than a dozen feet 
 square, the little furniture which it contained being 
 dilapidated beyond description. As I stepped into 
 the room to examine things more closely, the fact 
 became very plain that some one had occupied it 
 recently, for the mouldy couch still showed the im 
 print of a human form. 
 
 " Some broken utensils stood about on the hearth, 
 where a fire-place had been hewn out of the soft 
 rock. The ashes and charred wood, the bones of 
 -fish and birds, scattered about on the floor, confirmed 
 the fact that it was used, in a desultory manner, as 
 a habitation. 
 
 "I was turning to leave, thinking perhaps that 
 I had invaded the private dwelling of some squatter, 
 when my attention was arrested by seeing a vial 
 half concealed in a cleft in the rocky wall. Inly 
 wondering why any one should wish to conceal such 
 a trifle, I drew it forth, rubbing the grime and dust 
 from it as I did so. 
 
 " What was my surprise to see that there was a 
 paper within. In eager haste I uncorked the bottle 
 and drew out this document," said he, holding up 
 with trembling hands a sheet that was discolored 
 with age and blotted with mildew, but covered closely 
 with writing, still faintly legible. "I had only time 
 to glance at the startling title when I heard your 
 voices calling, so I closed the door, drew the vines 
 
200 JOUENAL OF IVARENE. 
 
 carefully over the entrance, and joined you, feeling 
 like one in a dream. 
 
 "Now let's hasten," he said, "and read this 
 document, which will, I believe, unveil the mystery 
 of Bruce and Ivarene." Then, unrolling the time- 
 worn paper again, with bated breath and loudly 
 beating heart, he read aloud as follows : 
 
 SEPTEMBER 14, 1849, 1 
 
 " NEAR THE STONE CORRAL, ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL. / 
 
 " This is written by Ivarene Walraven, late of 
 the City of Mexico, who offers prayers that it may 
 fall into hands of kindness, who will convey to my 
 kinsman, Herr Von Brunn, of Vera Cruz to him 
 this missive, full of grief and misfortune. 
 
 " We were attacked by savages on the night of 
 August 22d, our servants slain, our wealth all gone, 
 and our kind and tender friend, Senor Warlow, 
 murdered. Bruce, my noble husband, he did me 
 wrap within the folds of a serape, and dashed away 
 out on the dark prairie with me in his arms, far, 
 far away from the noise of murder and savagery. 
 He watched by my side in the tall grass all that 
 day next come; for I was ill to death's gate. 
 
 " Then, near eventide, there came to us a hunter 
 strange, who said he slay the bison-flesh for trailers 
 by, and beg we go to his hidden cell in a cliffy 
 rock. His evil eyes I much mistrust; but he seem 
 friendly be, and food prepare for us when there 
 we go. On morning rise my babe is born a 
 daughter sweet and darling Bruce he tenderly 
 nurses me while the hunter watches near the trail 
 for wagons go by ; but day by day nothing sees he ; 
 
JOURNAL OF IVARENE. 201 
 
 then Bruce he say, 'I shall go myself to-morrow 
 day.' The hunter frown when this he say. That 
 morning, as the hunter go, he say, with cunning 
 smile : 'A flask of wine for senora and senor.' 
 Then leaves he it and go away as at all time. 
 When him had disappeared, I scent a strangeness 
 in the flask, and Bruce poured out a larger part; 
 then broke he the glassen flask upon the floor. 
 When a cup he bring, and say : ' What is the scent 
 of this wine he gave ?' I perceive the deadly loco's 
 odor there, and say it poison is; it drives them 
 mad for evermore. Bruce he frown, and meat and 
 drink prepare ; and when the hunter he return he 
 say : ' The flask is broken all ! give us wine some 
 more.' But the hunter rudely began the meat to 
 eat, waiting not at all. After him did partake in 
 his rude way of the food he threw his coat by ; then 
 sat he strangely still awhile. Sprang he at length 
 to his feet with loud shriek and cry, then rushed 
 away into the night. ' Ah ! the wine I put into his 
 food is poison be,' Bruce he say while bar the door. 
 In the hunter's coat we find a little book for writ 
 ing some, and one leaf did have these letter writ : 
 
 " ' EAGLE BEAK, Take all the braves to Paw 
 nee Rock, and there I will go soon. Several jugs 
 of wine are ready for you to take along ; but do not 
 let them taste until there ; I have put deadly loco 
 in the wine, which will kill them all, or drive 
 them mad; so there will be the less to share the 
 cask of gold ' 
 
 "Then it was left unfinished, and another leaf 
 had been torn some out. 
 
 18 
 
202 JOURNAL OF IVARENE. 
 
 " SEPTEMBER 15th. 
 
 " I shall write it more for Bruce ; he go to the 
 trail to watch for travelers go. I am all by me, 
 and my blue-eyed, dark-haired daughter here, with 
 barred door I am much secured; but lonely so for 
 darling Bruce. 
 
 "I try so hard to plainly use this English 
 tongue, but strange it seems. My baby dear I 
 deck with my mother's locket, where is the picture 
 of dear Bruce and me my dear mother's name on 
 it : Morelia. Oh, time is lonely now while Bruce 
 away. I will lay this aside, its vial in, and will 
 write it again after I unbar the door and watch 
 for him." 
 
THE WEB OF MYSTERY. 203 
 
 Chapter XVI. 
 
 ! they were murdered by the wild hunter, 
 and this is all that remains to tell the fate of 
 our father's friends/ 7 cried Maud, tearfully. "But 
 do you think, Clifford " She paused a moment, 
 leaving her question unfinished ; then, springing to 
 her feet in wildest excitement, she exclaimed : 
 
 " We have been blind blind ! but it is all clear 
 now!" and as Rob stood by, dumb with astonish 
 ment, she said, in a hoarse whisper, while she 
 wrung her hands in the intensity of her great 
 emotion : " Bruce's daughter Morelia Mora I" 
 
 " Yes, yes ! I have suspected it since the day 
 father called her Ivarene. I always felt, from the 
 moment that we met, as though I had known her 
 all my life. There seemed to be a look of recogni 
 tion beaming from the eyes of Mora Estill that has 
 haunted me for months. My God ! is it possible I 
 have only known her three short weeks? it seems 
 like an eternity," said Clifford, in a musing tone, 
 while Rob exclaimed, hurriedly : 
 
 " That mad hunter was Olin Estill ; and it was 
 he who must have stolen Mora at the cavern from 
 Ivarene, and left her at the Estill Ranch before he 
 met his tragic fate. His is the haunted, lonesome 
 grave on the hill-top, of which Mora spoke." 
 
 "But, oh, what a terrible retribution! his 
 
204 THE WEB OF MYSTERY. 
 
 limbs torn away by wrangling wolves, and his 
 grinning skull left bleaching on the wild prairie," 
 said Maud, tearfully. " Dear Bruce and Ivarene," 
 she continued, with a sob-= " must their history end 
 in silence and oblivion ?" 
 
 " Do you think, Maud, that the hunter, with all 
 the devilish cunning of madness, could have crept 
 back and poisoned theni, and then stolen the child ?" 
 
 "Ah ! it is too sad to contemplate," she replied. 
 " Their fate would have been worse than death ; 
 for 1 now remember having read how ill-starred 
 Carlotta, Maximilian's unhappy empress, was poi 
 soned by some terrible Mexican drug, and all the 
 world knows of her hopeless madness, which will 
 last until death." 
 
 a I shudder to think who that gray-robed, 
 ghastly creature, with its tangled locks and glassy 
 eyes, may be," said Clifford, hoarse with emotion. 
 
 " Not Bruce ! Oh no, no ! it can not be ! Oh 
 God ! what a fate !" cried Maud, with another flood 
 of tears, as she thought of the hideous contrast with 
 the smiling, handsome lover in the flower-entwined 
 balcony of Monteluma. 
 
 " I will go and take a more extended search up 
 at that cavern," said Clifford. " It may be possible 
 to make some more discoveries. But let us keep 
 this matter secret, and when our parents are willing 
 to give us their confidence, then we will divulge it, 
 but not before," to which the others agreed; and 
 while Maud was still cautioning him to be very 
 careful of danger, our young hero rode up by his 
 dwelling, then galloped rapidly along the wind- 
 
THE WEB OF MYSTERY. 205 
 
 ing pathway to the cliff where the cavern was 
 concealed. 
 
 Alighting, and securing his horse to a low plum- 
 tree in the thicket, he went to the door of the cell, 
 and, finding all as he had left it, began searching 
 the room critically. 
 
 He was reasoning in his mind the probabilities 
 of finding the treasure, which the letter of the 
 hunter led him to suspect was hidden near; for 
 he had got a very clear glimpse of that villain's 
 nature, when he read the part that was crossed out 
 after he had written : " The fewer to share, the 
 greater the gain." 
 
 Clifford felt certain that Olin Estill had re 
 mained with the treasure after he had induced his 
 confederate in crime, Eagle Beak (who was, no 
 doubt, an Indian chief), to decoy the Indians away 
 to Pawnee Rock. The wretch must have decided 
 to poison Eagle Beak when he marked the letter 
 over, and no doubt he had suppressed the fact of 
 the wine being drugged, so that his confederate 
 would also drink of the liquor. 
 
 " Eagle Beak must have been a white man, dis 
 guised as an Indian, or he would never have been 
 able to read," thought Clifford; but as he knew .a 
 great many half-breeds had become prominent In 
 dian chiefs, he reconciled this fact with the position 
 which that marauder held. Allowing such to have 
 been the case, young Warlow knew that he could 
 have been no match in cunning deviltry for the 
 educated scoundrel, Estill; so he must certainly 
 have fallen into the diabolical trap which the latter 
 
206 THE WEB OF MYSTERY. 
 
 villain had laid for him, and, with all his Indians, 
 he had drunk himself to madness and death from 
 the flasks and jugs of drugged and poisoned liquor. 
 They had all shared a common fate long before 
 reaching that towering and legendary land-mark 
 of Pawnee Rock. All the actors in that dire trag 
 edy had met with such swift retribution that no 
 one was left, in a few days after the robbery, to 
 care for the great treasure. 
 
 "Yes; the mighty fortune of Monteluma, its red 
 gold and gleaming gems, is hidden away near by, 
 only waiting to be restored to their rightful heir, 
 Mora Estill," said Clifford aloud, as he clenched his 
 hand, and the blood surged to his face in a crim 
 son glow. 
 
 The gold, he believed, had been hastily buried 
 near the Stone Corral by the leaders while the 
 savages were stupefied with liquor; but the casket 
 of gems, our hero believed, was concealed in the 
 cavern; so it was with a wildly beating heart that 
 our young friend began searching the mouldy pallet 
 of straw, but nothing rewarded his scrutiny. 
 
 He had provided himself with a large dirk-knife, 
 which his father had carried in the turbulent mining 
 days, and with the heavy metal handle of the weapon 
 Clifford proceeded to sound the walls of the cavern; 
 but no hollow echo replied, to betray the cavity 
 which he hoped to discover. The fire-place, chim 
 ney, and the ceiling, also were subjected to the same 
 scrutiny, but with no better result. Then he began 
 near the door, and sounded the solid floor until he 
 arrived at the old couch ; but the stone seemed to 
 
THE WEB OF MYSTERY. 207 
 
 be a solid sheet of limestone, on which the hilt of 
 the weapon rang with a clear, metallic clang, reso 
 nant but disheartening. 
 
 Hastily removing the old mattress, young War- 
 low resumed his explorations; and as he vainly 
 searched the floor his heart sank like lead, and he 
 paused to wipe the cold sweat from his face before 
 finishing the last remaining spot in one corner. A 
 feeling of dread and apprehension overcame him, 
 and he shrank from the ordeal. Hope deferred 
 began to dampen the enthusiasm of our young 
 " Fortune Hunter," and he could scarcely summon his 
 courage to the final test of searching that one remain 
 ing spot ; but, drawing a long sigh, he resumed the 
 operation, and the very first blow caused his brain 
 to reel and the blood to bound madly in his veins; 
 for the hollow sound which the blow elicited proved 
 that the hidden cavity was reached at last. 
 
 The bottom of the cavern was thickly incrusted 
 with filth and damp earth at that place; but he dug 
 with frantic energy, and soon the dim outline of a 
 square flag-stone was visible, Breathless and pant 
 ing, young Warlow pried at the stone, and as it 
 slowly arose he closed his eyes, as if fearing to 
 glance down into the cavity below. 
 
 "Ah, if this is the casket of gems, Mora will be 
 the greatest heiress in all the land, and the gulf 
 which the "riches of the cattle-king made between 
 myself and her will only be widened by this great 
 wealth," Clifford thought; and he now, for the first 
 time, regretted having come out on a search which 
 might lead to his life-long misery. 
 
208 THE GEMS OF MONTELUMA. 
 
 For one moment the tempter whispered in his 
 ear; but quickly the Warlow honor triumphed, and 
 he looked down resolutely into the cavity. 
 
 Yes! there was the casket, and beside it a roll 
 of papers. 
 
 Fate had been fickle and cold so long ; but now, 
 when her smile was worse than a frown, she could 
 easily relent. 
 
 Catching up the papers and casket, he sprang 
 across the room to the door with a hoarse cry of 
 delight. Upon the decayed old parchment he could 
 only discern one faint word, Monteluma; then the 
 casket dropped from his nerveless grasp and fell to 
 the stone floor with a crash. 
 
 An exclamation of delight escaped him as the 
 gems which had fallen upon the floor, flashed back 
 the sun-rays in scintillating splendor, and the low, 
 dull room was lit by a glare like the lightning- 
 riven storm-cloud. 
 
 It was a scene of bewildering beauty of fasci 
 nating splendor that met his gaze : great diamonds, 
 that shot broad flashes of rainbow light; strands of 
 pale pearls, glinting in fitful splendor; burning 
 rubies, that poured forth flames of crimson, which 
 mingled with the rays shed by the amethysts of rose, 
 purple, and lilac; while the lurid, baleful fire of 
 opals and emeralds flickered and glimmered in the 
 sunlight. 
 
 Stooping down, young Warlow gathered up the 
 priceless gems, trembling meanwhile at the strange, 
 unreal event, and after securely placing them again 
 within the casket, and rearranging the room, he 
 
THE GEMS OF MONTELUMA. 209 
 
 mounted his horse and galloped back over the swell 
 ing hills. 
 
 As the hoofs of his gray Norman tore through 
 the thickets of rank grass, tangled and woven in a 
 maze of golden, leafless tendrils by the slender 
 love-vine, or bruised the mignonette until all the 
 moist, sultry air was rich with its pungent fragrance, 
 Clifford was revolving in his mind several plans for 
 concealing the mighty treasure of which he had 
 just become the guardian. He concluded that he 
 must find a secure hiding-place at his dwelling, 
 where the casket might remain until the proper 
 moment should arrive when he could reveal the 
 discovery, and restore the property to its rightful 
 owner. 
 
 On arriving at his dwelling, Clifford tied his 
 horse in the stable, then entered the house, lock 
 ing the door and drawing the blinds, so as to 
 be safe from intrusion while he pondered over the 
 situation. 
 
 The room was a tastefully-furnished apartment, 
 carpeted with a rich, dark carpet, a remnant of 
 luxury that had once adorned the old plantation 
 home, and supplied with easy chairs, a book-case, 
 well filled, and some good paintings, which were 
 gifts from his early friends. 
 
 This room was the gathering-place for the men 
 and boys of Clifford's neighborhood on rainy days 
 and lonesome Sundays, and here it was that he 
 spent most of his leisure time in reading or study. 
 
 At length he arose and went to the attic, from 
 which place he soon returned with a case of tools. 
 
210 THE GEMS OF MONTELUMA. 
 
 Then, taking up the carpet in the corner of the 
 room, he sawed out a place in the floor large enough 
 to admit the strong, iron-bound chest, which he had 
 dragged out from the adjoining room. 
 
 After hastily tacking some cleats on the boards, 
 which he had sawed out of the floor, thus providing 
 a lid for the cavity, he placed the chest within the 
 aperture. The bottom of the strong box rested on 
 the earth below, and its top came nearly even with 
 the floor. In a small compartment of this chest 
 young Warlow placed the jewels ; then he paused 
 awhile to look at the roll of parchments. 
 
 These documents proved to be the patents to 
 the estate of Monteluma, and Clifford could dimly 
 see the signatures of Charles V and Philip II, 
 with the broad seal of the Spanish crown on the 
 mildewed, discolored, yet precious parchments. 
 
 There was, in addition, a large envelope, heavily 
 sealed, on which the superscription was quite dim. 
 In the waning light young Warlow failed to de 
 cipher it; but promising himself that he would 
 soon examine this mystery-hinting missive at greater 
 leisure, he placed all the papers in the chest, which 
 he securely locked, closed the trap-door, and tacked 
 down the carpet ; then, fastening up the house with 
 great care, he hurried down to his father's dwelling. 
 
THE RED GOLD OF MONTELUMA. 211 
 
 Chapter XVII. 
 
 AUD and Eob met Clifford at the gate, and 
 iVJ. as he passed under the latticed arch where the 
 trumpet-vine clambered with succulent ambition, its 
 sprays of flame-red bugles mottled with spots of 
 velvety black, Maud said eagerly : 
 
 " I was growing uneasy about you, Cliff. Did 
 you see nothing of that strange, gray-robed creature 
 up at the cell?" 
 
 " Nothing whatever ; but I am led to believe 
 that mysterious being often stays there. We must 
 keep a sharp watch on the place hereafter, and per 
 haps we may unravel the mystery," he replied, 
 anxious to lead the subject away fropa his recent 
 search. 
 
 As he stood, dreading further questioning, the 
 supper-bell sounded, and he quickly moved on into 
 the house, determined that he would conceal his dis 
 covery until he had made a search for the gold also. 
 
 The Warlow family retired^ early that night ; 
 but as the clock struck two Clifford arose, and 
 listening to be certain that Rob was safe in the 
 arms of Morpheus, he then stepped lightly out on 
 to the veranda, and, after pausing a moment at the 
 foot of the steps to draw on his boots, hurried down 
 to the barn. 
 
 After saddling one of his Norman horses, he 
 rode up to his dwelling, where he secured the iron 
 
212 MY FATHER'S GOLD. 
 
 rod and spade with which he had prosecuted his 
 former search, and then galloped on down to the 
 old cottonwood-tree. 
 
 Tying his horse to an ash-tree on the river bank, 
 he began digging on the very spot where he had 
 unearthed the cask with all its attending horrors. 
 While throwing the soil out of the pit, he soon 
 forgot the dangers and disappointment which had 
 attended that adventure, [and in his eagerness to 
 reach the shattered cask, still remaining below him, 
 he labored with such energy that he soon reached 
 the object of his search. 
 
 As he began to clear the dirt from the shattered 
 cask, he often listened to hear the warning rattle that 
 would announce the presence of the mate to that 
 venomous reptile which he had slain here a few 
 weeks previous; but no trace of the serpent was 
 found. While removing the last spadeful of earth, 
 the thought came to him like a flash of sunlight that 
 the snake had been placed within the cask for the 
 very purpose of terrifying and discouraging any one 
 from searching deeper after he had unearthed it. 
 
 He remembered having read of circumstances 
 where reptiles had been found imprisoned in rock, 
 where they had survived the confinement of an era 
 of time to which twenty-seven years was a short 
 period in comparison ; so it appeared that the snake 
 might have been placed there when the cask was 
 buried, and had lived and developed into the enor 
 mous reptile which had served to unnerve him and 
 arrest his search on the first occasion. 
 
 It had occurred to him, before digging, that the 
 
213 
 
 cask had been buried by the wretches who were 
 engaged in the massacre at the corral, and that the 
 treasure was secreted just below the cask. This be 
 lief had resulted from his successful search at the 
 cavern, and had ripened now into almost convic 
 tion ; so he had resolved to search deeper on the 
 same spot where he had met with his first signal 
 failure. 
 
 "How true it is that we should always look be 
 low the surface of treachery, enmrty, and failure for 
 the true gold of success !" said young Warlow, 
 meanwhile removing the last stave of the old cask, 
 and boring down with the iron rod into the bottom 
 of the pit. 
 
 As the instrument struck hard against some re 
 sisting object, but two feet below, he felt the shock 
 of a hot thrill of excitement ; then grasping his 
 spade with trembling hands, he soon reached the 
 goal of his labors. 
 
 Another cask was revealed ! 
 
 Yes ; there was the treasure, he felt with all the 
 conviction of certainty, that he had so long vainly 
 hoped to recover. He struck the head of the cask 
 several blows with his spade, and as the wood crushed 
 in, he paused with the same old feeling of vacillation 
 and dread that had seized him when the precious cas 
 ket lay unopened before him at the secret cavern, 
 the irresolute, wavering sensation, the fear of dis 
 appointment, which so often assails us when fortune's 
 phantom stands dimly near, and we hesitate to grasp 
 her beckoning hand, fearing vaguely that a buffet 
 may await us. It was in such a mood young War- 
 
214 
 
 low stood, while the hopes and fears coursed 
 dreamily through his soul. The sweat-drops rained 
 from his brow, and fell trickling down through the 
 pale moonlight. At last, with shaking hand, he lit 
 his lantern and peered down into the cask below ; 
 and as he slowly cleared out the fragments of the 
 shattered head, he saw that there was a mass of 
 fleecy wool filling the cask completely. Tearing 
 this aside with nerveless fingers and panting haste, 
 there was revealed row after row of deer-skin bags, 
 with the words, 
 
 "GEORGE WARLOW, 1849," 
 
 plainly lettered upon their sides. With his knife he 
 quickly severed the thong that bound one of them, 
 and the dull, red gold gleamed back in the flicker 
 ing light ! 
 
 "Oh God! at last at last !" cried our hero 
 (who certainly has earned his title), as broken sobs 
 shook his frame, and he leaned faint and dizzy 
 against the side of the pit. But while he stood, 
 weak and panting, a wild, frightened snort from his 
 horse caused him to bound out of the pit, and 
 hurry forward to where he had fastened the animal. 
 When he reached the tree the usually quiet creature 
 was found to be trembling with fear or excitement. 
 After caressing the sleek Norman for a moment, 
 and speaking in a soothing tone to quiet the crea 
 ture, Clifford walked back toward the pit; but as 
 he came into the moonlight, he paused a moment 
 to take a full breath of the light breeze, which was 
 rippling the water and whispering among the trees. 
 
THE PHANTOM. 215 
 
 Far down the valley he could trace the silvery 
 veil of vapor, revealing the course of the narrow 
 stream, and among the dense shadows of willow and 
 vines the fire-flies wove their webs of glimmering 
 light. The midsummer night was still and tran 
 quil, the silence only broken by the moan of the 
 brook and the chirp of insects ; the heavy dew- 
 drops on tree and shrub glinted and flashed in the 
 moonbeams that sifted through the willows in a 
 sheen of wavering silver. 
 
 The quavering scream of a wolf on some dismal 
 hill-top a sound heard nightly all over the West 
 ern prairies, but one that never fails to send a cold 
 thrill of horror through the lone traveler startled 
 Clifford from the momentary reverie into which he 
 had fallen, and brought back vividly the remem 
 brance of that night of terror and danger, which 
 now seemed so long ago ; and, as if the very thought 
 had conjured up the spirits of the past, that well- 
 remembered spectre, gray-robed, with snaky locks 
 and glaring eyes, darted from among the shadows 
 and with its bony, talon-like fingers clutched at 
 young Warlow's throat. 
 
 Not a sound came from the lips that were drawn 
 back from its snaggled fangs, but with its loathsome, 
 grave-like breath full on his cheek, it closed in a 
 death grapple with the startled and horrified youth. 
 A wild struggle ensued ; the rank vines and slender 
 willows were trampled to the earth ; and soon the 
 combatants stood on the banks of the stream, by a 
 deep, dark pool, and the fierce, unearthly creature, 
 tried to force Clifford's head beneath the water. 
 
216 THE PHANTOM. 
 
 As the fiendish, murderous intention of his as 
 sailant became apparent, young Warlow sprang back 
 from the danger that yawned before him, and tore 
 loose from the fury-blinded wretch, which again 
 darted at Clifford, grappling with him in all the 
 frenzy and desperation of a maniac. 
 
 The failing strength of the strange creature be 
 came more apparent every moment; so Clifford de 
 termined to first exhaust it by a violent struggle, 
 then bind it with the lariat which hung at his sad 
 dle ; and soon it was an easy matter for our athletic 
 and vigorous young hero to drag the panting wretch 
 to where his horse stood trembling with terror and 
 wild with fright. Clifford spoke in a soothing tone, 
 and when the horse became once more quiet, he 
 reached for the lariat, while holding the maniac 
 with one hand; but with a desperate wrench the 
 spectral being tore loose from his grasp, and bounded 
 away with a loud yell. Then, as it fled swiftly away 
 over the prairie, at every step it would shriek like 
 a mangled hound the soundg rowing fainter, until 
 at length it died out in silence on the grassy hills. 
 
 With a prolonged shiver, Clifford started like 
 one awakened from a terrible night-mare ; then re 
 membering the new-found treasure, he hurried back 
 to the pit, and peered down as though fearful that 
 he should find it all a dream. 
 
 But no there was the red gold, resting where 
 it had lain so long. 
 
 Clifford paused a moment, irresolute and uncer 
 tain what course to pursue. How should he remove 
 this vast treasure to a place of security ? he was 
 
TRANSPORTING THE GOLD. 217 
 
 asking himself, when there recurred to his mind the 
 fact that there was harness in his stable, and an old, 
 stout sled there also. The latter had been used in 
 transporting stone from the old wall to build his 
 dwelling, and was admirably adapted to just such a 
 purpose as bearing up the heavy sacks of coin. So 
 young Warlow lost no time in hurrying down to 
 the stable. 
 
 As he nervously harnessed the horse by the dim 
 light of the lantern, he was devoured with anxiety, 
 lest something should occur that would yet rob him 
 of the fruits of his great discovery. " What if that 
 uncanny demon should return, and undo all his labor 
 by some diabolical plan or act?" he found himself 
 saying in a half-audible tone, as with trembling 
 haste he hurried back to the treasure and found 
 all his fears were groundless, for every thing re 
 mained as he had left it. 
 
 When he attempted to lift the sacks of coin he 
 found that it was no light task, for each one of the 
 stout bags weighed fully forty pounds ; but with 
 great difficulty he loaded ten of them on to the low 
 vehicle, then led the horse up to the dwelling, close 
 to the door, where, unhitching the animal and se 
 curing him to the stone post near by, he proceeded 
 to carry the sacks into the dwelling. 
 
 Five of the first were lettered with the name of 
 his father. These he placed by themselves. Then, 
 taking up the carpet and the floor where he had 
 concealed the chest, he untied the remaining five 
 sacks, and emptied their glittering contents into the 
 iron-bound box. When all this was completed, he 
 
 19 
 
218 A MILLION OF TREASURE. 
 
 returned for another load, but not without again en 
 tertaining grave fears for the safety of the precious 
 cask, which he found still undisturbed. 
 
 Four more loads of the coin emptied the cask. 
 Then came the work of refilling the pit, and obliter 
 ating all trace of the search. Then, after returning 
 the sled and harness to their accustomed places, 
 Clifford sat down, faint and weary, to feast his eyes 
 on the grand sight, the enormous wealth that was 
 displayed by the lamp-light. 
 
 More than four hundred thousand dollars in 
 gold lay in a glittering, red mass before him ! The 
 coin almost filled the chest, while in the shallow 
 compartment were the gems, which he had taken 
 from their casket, that he might once more admire 
 them and feast his eyes on their splendor. 
 
 The gems he remembered having heard his 
 father say represented more than half a million 
 dollars ; and he tried to realize what this vast aggre 
 gation of wealth meant this million of treasure that 
 he had restored to the light since the last sunrise; 
 but only faintly could the young " Fortune Hunter" 
 comprehend the power and grandeur of the treasure 
 before him. 
 
 Out among the mass of red and yellow gold 
 trailed a strand of frosty, glimmering pearls. The 
 great diamonds, that flashed their rivers of light; 
 and rubies, that mingled their rays of rose and 
 crimson with the green glint of emeralds; lurid 
 opals, sapphires of sparkling blue or violet red ; 
 amethysts of pink, purple, and lilac, all spoke in 
 proudest tones of the wealth of Mouteluma; and, 
 
A MILLION OF TREASURE. 219 
 
 with a weary sigh, Clifford thought of the wide 
 social gulf which now yawned between himself and 
 the heiress of all this splendor. 
 
 After securing all the treasure in the chest, and 
 locking the door securely behind, young Warlow 
 rode stealthily homeward as the first blush of crim 
 son was mantling the eastern sky, and the great 
 planets were growing pale. 
 
220 THE COUBSE OF TRUE LOVE. 
 
 Chapter XVIII. 
 
 IN the cool of the following evening we find 
 Cliiford swinging dreamily in a hammock on the 
 porch, while near by is ever-busy Maud, preparing 
 a basket of martynias for the pickle-jar. As she 
 deftly snipped off the curling ends of the green 
 pods, locally known as " Devil Claws " a very 
 appropriate name indeed, when applied to the ma 
 ture fruit she cast a glance of suspicion toward 
 her brother, and said : 
 
 " I never like to see you so quiet, Clifford. I 
 have always noticed that silent people need watch 
 ing. Now, here is Rob, for instance : Just so long 
 as we can hear him whistling or singing, we rest 
 contentedly; but the very moment he becomes 
 quiet ah ! look out ! There is mischief on hand 
 every time*; and we are likely to miss pie from the 
 pantry soon, or find that the rogue has filched a 
 bowl of cream down cellar. No, sir; you have 
 been so suspiciously reticent to-day that I am led 
 to think you have learned something since we had 
 our talk yesterday." 
 
 " I always endeavor to store up some treasure of 
 wisdom daily, my sister," Clifford replied, with lazy 
 evasion, as he swung a polished boot to and fro 
 over the hammock's side, and turned a feverish 
 face toward Maud. Then, while a look of sarcasm 
 gleamed in his half-closed eyes, he added, as she 
 
THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE. 221 
 
 continued to glance askance: "Who was the phi 
 losopher, sage, or poet that said or should have 
 said, at least something about the moral obloquy 
 of groping through life with a cross eye?" 
 
 " Whoever that fellow was who strangled on 
 such a proverb, I '11 bet my boots he never clanked 
 round of nights, like a loose horse, all the while 
 fancying himself sly," said Rob, with a knowing 
 chuckle, as he cocked his head on one side to view 
 the horse-hair bridle-rein which he was braiding 
 while seated on the edge of the porch. 
 
 A loud-mouthed clamor from the dogs precluded 
 an answer to this thrust, and as the group on the 
 porch looked toward the gate, Grace, Ralph, and 
 Scott Moreland came into the yard, and they were 
 all soon eagerly discussing the plan of holding a 
 picnic in the Warlow pasture, on the opposite side 
 of the river from the colonel's dwelling. 
 
 Before their neighbors left it was decided that 
 the event should take place the last of the follow 
 ing week; but in the excitement of agreeing on a 
 programme, and the wordy debate as to the pro 
 priety of including dancing in the list of amuse 
 ments, all the leisure time of the next two days was 
 consumed; so nothing more was said regarding the 
 great discoveries which the week had revealed.* 
 
 Verbal and written invitations were sown broad 
 cast throughout the colony, bidding their friends to 
 the picnic; and not many days had elapsed before 
 Clifford had ridden down to the Estill Ranch to 
 deliver the compliment in person to the members of 
 that aristocratic household. 
 
222 THE COURSE OF TEUE LOVE. 
 
 At the door he met Hugh, who was as cordial 
 and genial as ever, and entered into the scheme of 
 the picnic with" his customary zest of pleasure, 
 sharpened now, no doubt, with the desire to meet 
 the fascinating Grace once again. 
 
 The call lengthened out astonishingly, as Clifford 
 strolled back and forth on the star-lit terrace with 
 the vivacious heiress of Monteluma and Estill 
 Eanch, who promised to come up with Hugh the 
 next day, to practice, with a dozen others, who were 
 to meet at Moreland's, and agree on the music for 
 the entertainment. 
 
 " What a delightful evening this has been !" said 
 Clifford at a very late hour, as they walked down to 
 the steps, at the base of which his horse was tied. 
 
 "Oh, charming indeed! And do n't you think 
 that we are progressing well with our "practicing," 
 for here we have had all the elements of a flirta 
 tion without the aid of either a moon or a gate," 
 she said gaily, as he unfastened the chain at the 
 steps, which served to bar the way at the top of 
 the stairs, which led down from the terrace. 
 
 A cool " Good evening, Miss Estill/' was all the 
 answer this sally elicited from young Warlow, as 
 he rode away, thinking gloomily that the proud 
 heiress meant to show him, under the cover of her 
 levity, that she was only amusing herself or " prac 
 ticing " the arts of " flirtation " at his expense ; 
 and he determined that when they met again he 
 would show her that he understood the hint, and 
 would give her no further opportunity to repulse 
 his advances. 
 
223 
 
 So, accordingly, it was with a great deal of 
 hauteur he met Miss Estill the following afternoon 
 at Morelands' ; but either that young lady was too 
 indifferent to notice his behavior or had been grat 
 ified at the result of her light remark, for she was 
 as gay and unchanged as ever. 
 
 All of our hero's stern resolves dissolved into 
 smiles and admiration while he stood talking with 
 the charming young lady ; but when the wealthy, 
 dissolute aristocrat, Major Stork, of Devondale, came 
 up, and proceeded to monopolize Miss Estill, Clif 
 ford froze up completely, and became so polite and 
 attentive to Grace that she at length declared she 
 would box his ears if he did not quit persecuting 
 her so ; which persecutions consisted merely in 
 keeping Hugh Estill away from her side a crime 
 which Clifford told her, hotly, was worse than mur 
 der in her eyes. 
 
 " Cliff Warlow, you are a booby I" said Miss 
 Grace, with astonishing candor; "and you needn't 
 come round me with any of your second-hand at 
 tentions; for I've got a pair of eyes in my head, 
 and know how to use them too. The idea of your 
 being jealous of that hawk-billed old reprobate. 
 Why, it's perfectly absurd," she continued, casting 
 a glance of scorn toward the spot where the stately 
 major and Miss Estill were talking. " Oh, you 
 should remember, Cliff, that a girl who is worth 
 having is not going to fall into a fellow's mouth 
 like a ripe persimmon whenever he shakes the tree." 
 
 Then in a tone of confidence she continued, with 
 a look of wisdom, which Clifford thought, with an 
 
224 THE CATTLE-KING'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 ill-concealed smile, resembled that of a prairie- 
 owl : " Girls are very apt to pretend a great cold 
 ness toward a fellow that they want to catch; that 
 is, after they see they have made a safe impression 
 on him ; and to see such a girl begin mano3uvring 
 around another fellow, one too that you know she 
 can't care a straw for, why, it always shows plain 
 enough that it is only to decoy fellow number one." 
 
 " There you are now far beyond my compre 
 hension," Clifford interrupted, with returning good 
 humor; and as Hugh Estill joined them he added: 
 "I will now retire in favor of number one." 
 
 Emboldened by Grace's homily, young Warlow 
 sought Miss Estill's side, and in her vivacious 
 friendliness he soon found the happiness that had 
 taken flight on the appearance of the major; but 
 the returning bud of confidence, which her smiles 
 had called forth, was nipped by a most untimely 
 frost in the appearance of a new rival John Down- 
 els, of Diamond Springs. 
 
 Mr. Downels was a debonair, graceful specimen 
 of the gilded youth of New York, from whose 
 make-up the last remaining trace of effeminacy had 
 been eliminated by a stern course of ranch-life in 
 the West. He appeared to be an old friend of 
 Miss Estill, who presented him to Clifford; but 
 after a moment's civility, young Warlow took his 
 leave and retired, while the late comer devoted 
 himself to the heiress. 
 
 While pretending to discuss music with Mrs. 
 Warfield, Clifford watched the pair furtively. He 
 began to realize that now he had just cause for 
 
JEALOUSY. 225 
 
 uneasiness; for there was an air of culture and pol 
 ished ease about the blonde-haired young ranchman 
 which made him very attractive, rind young War- 
 low became so absorbed and miserable that he only 
 half realized what he was saying. 
 
 "Do you think we shall have time at the pic 
 nic to sing all the songs on the programme before 
 dinner?" Mrs. Warfield inquired. 
 
 " Why, no ; I believe it would be a better plan 
 to dish it out by the quart to the individual tables," 
 he replied, absently ; then seeing a puzzled look 
 sweep over her face, he hastened to add : " You 
 know it would be more liable to melt if it was in 
 such small quantities." 
 
 The situation flashed at once upon the keen- 
 eyed lady, and although flirtation, jealousy, music, 
 and ice-cream was a combination sufficient to upset 
 the gravity of a sexton, yet she replied in a tone 
 of perfect suavity while toying with her bracelet of 
 jet and gold : 
 
 "A very good plan indeed, Mr. Warlow." 
 
 When evening came, and with its brooding 
 shadows the company dispersed, our hero returned 
 home with a heavy heart. As he pondered over 
 each word and action of Miss Estill, he had to con 
 fess that there was nothing in her demeanor towards 
 him but friendly courtesy at all times. The only 
 way that he could interpret her remark on the 
 terrace, regarding their "flirtation" and "prac 
 ticing," was that she had seen his growing attach 
 ment for herself, and she had in that way shown 
 him that it was only a flirtation, and that his case 
 
 20 
 
226 JEALOUSY. 
 
 was hopeless. " Yes ; she was too genuinely a lady 
 to encourage his suit, then discard him at the last 
 moment," he concluded, despondently. 
 
 A miserable day followed a sleepless night, and 
 Clifford busied himself with the farm duties, trying 
 vainly to forget the bewitching voice that was ever 
 haunting him, and which, as he drove the reaper 
 over the wild meadow, seemed to be singing above 
 the clang and ring of the sickle the sweet refrain, 
 
 " There blooms no rose upon the plain 
 But costs the night a thousand tears," 
 
 in the tones of luscious melody that he never no, 
 never could forget. 
 
 As he swung in the hammock again that even 
 ing, while Maud's guitar and the sweet strains of 
 "Silver Threads " lulled him into a drowsy reve 
 rie, he remembered suddenly the incident of the 
 "Moated Grange" which, Mora laughingly said, 
 had secured her such "a round scolding" because 
 she had neglected her household duties through 
 too much reading of that affecting poem. Why 
 should she have felt such sympathy for the forlorn 
 Mariana, unless the pathetic cry, 
 
 " ' He cometh not he cometh not,' she said," 
 
 had found an echo in her heart also ? 
 
 "Yes; she was heart-free, and waiting for 
 some one to come and fill its empty chambers with 
 the treasures of his love," mentally concluded our 
 hero in a flash of joyful conviction. But again the 
 doubt and despondency prevailed ; and in no very 
 enviable mood he rode down to EstilPs ranch alone 
 
" YOUR MUSIC MAKES ME HOME-SICK." 227 
 
 the next day, to join the company that were to meet 
 and practice for the coming musical festival, which 
 now was the all-absorbing theme of the colony. 
 
 As he rode slowly along, Maud and Ralph 
 passed him in a gallop, flinging back some gay 
 badinage something about " a laggard in love " 
 which he affected not to understand ; then, as he saw 
 Hugh and Grace cantering up the road behind, he 
 put spurs to his horse, and arrived at the imposing 
 mansion just in time to see young Downels and the 
 military Stork alight from the latter's carriage, and, 
 in the most amicable manner imaginable, both seek 
 the young hostess and rain a shower of compliments 
 upon her gracious head. 
 
 While these two devoted cavaliers, or rather 
 charioteers for they had ridden over in the 
 barouche of Devondale, a vehicle sumptuous and 
 costly were engaged in a graceful skirmish of wit 
 and verbiage with Miss Estill, our hero, after 
 bowing coldly, passed on to the piano, where Mrs. 
 Estill was chatting in a good-natured strain with a 
 group of friends. 
 
 "You are late, Mr. Warlow, and we have been 
 waiting for some one to ' break the ice ' at the 
 piano," she said, with her pleasing smile, as she 
 shook hands with Clifford. "Let's see," she con 
 tinued, " the quartette, ' My Native Hills/ is the 
 first on the programme. I am very eager to hear 
 your tenor since Mrs. Warfield said you made her 
 home-sick when you sang it at the Moreland re 
 hearsal," concluded the hostess, innocently. 
 
 " It would require a large bump of self-esteem 
 
228 A DUBIOUS COMPLIMENT. 
 
 to construe that into a compliment," thought 
 Clifford ; but meeting Mrs. Warfield's amused look, 
 he said, with a smile: 
 
 " I hope her longing for home was not of "the 
 same nature as that which a hand-organ inspires, 
 Mrs. Estill." 
 
 " No, indeed, Mr. Warlow ; but you will excuse 
 my faulty compliment, and only remember that 
 I *ve been totally isolated from society for a quarter 
 of a century, and am apt to say the wrong thing in 
 the right place." 
 
 " There she goes again !" the face of Mrs. War- 
 field seemed to say; but Clifford only answered 
 with polite gravity :- 
 
 " Thank you, Mrs. Estill. I shall never forget 
 that you are very kind; and if Mrs. Warfield 
 will promise not to leave at once we will proceed 
 with the singing," he added, with a twinkle of 
 humor in his blue eyes. 
 
 " I will promise to stay as long as you are sing 
 ing a tenor like an alpine horn," replied Mr. War- 
 field, graciously. 
 
 " Well ! good-bye, then ?" said Clifford, as he 
 joined the singers ; and soon his voice was heard, 
 clear and ringing, like the soft tones of a church- 
 bell in some quiet mountain valley pealing out 
 with soaring, crystal notes, or floating down the 
 wind with a vibrant, thrilling sweetness, that 
 caused even the garrulous major to pause and say 
 at the end : 
 
 " Why, pon honah, Miss Estill, this young War- 
 low is a wonderful singah ; indeed he quite reminds 
 
229 
 
 me of Mario, the enchanting, velvet-toned tennah, 
 you know, whom I often have heard at the grand 
 opera aw in delightful Paree. What a pity that 
 he is aw only a pooah homesteadah, or was until 
 of late, I heah." 
 
 " I am certain he is an earnest, industrious 
 gentleman at all times, Major/' said Miss Estill, 
 with just enough reproof in her tone to cause the 
 dissolute aristocrat to wince ; then, pausing, only 
 to see that her arrow had hit the mark, she con 
 tinued : 
 
 "His father was a wealthy planter who was 
 ruined financially by the war ; but we certainly 
 respect the energy that has enabled him to repair 
 his fortunes and found such a delightful home, as 
 you will find the Warlow homestead to be. His 
 example should encourage others to a similar 
 course, instead of remaining in the overcrowded 
 East or South to struggle along, hopelessly, amid 
 the scenes of their misfortune." 
 
 " Ah ! indeed a plantah before the wah ? Why, 
 really, that is another mattah, Miss Estill. My 
 fathah was also a plantah ; but when the wah began 
 he sold his niggahs and left Kentuckah, but 
 finally returned and located thah again." 
 
 " You appear so sad, Mr. Downels, that I fear 
 you are not enjoying our rehearsal," said Mora, 
 ignoring the transaction in " niggahs," and turning 
 with a questioning look to young Downels, who 
 stood by her side yet, but seemingly lost in reverie 
 since the music had ceased. 
 
 " Pardon the ungallantry, Miss Estill ; but that 
 
230 A WESTEKN VIEW OF CLASSIC MUSIC. 
 
 song carried me back to the Hudson, and I almost 
 fancied myself rambling over the hills and dales of 
 my boyhood's home once again." But his sadness 
 was seen to melt into an amused smile as Grace 
 sang in a rich brogue : 
 
 " Ould bachelor's hall what a quare luking place it is ! 
 
 Kape me froin sich all the days of me loife ; 
 Och ! sure an' methinks what a burnin' disgrace it is, 
 
 Niver at all to be takin a woife. 
 Pots, dishes, and pans, and sich greasy commodities 
 
 Ashes and tater-skins kiver the floor ; 
 His cupboard 'a a store-house of comical oddities 
 
 Things that were niver heard tell of before !" 
 
 Several glees followed ; then Miss Estill took 
 her place at the rich-toned piano, which was banked 
 in a bed of wild-flowers, where the flame-colored 
 blossoms of the desert-sage and the golden sun 
 flowers were relieved by sprays of snow-powdered 
 lace-plant and rose-colored convolvuli, mingled 
 with tufts of white and purple mignonette, which 
 grew in fragrant profusion over all the surround 
 ing hills. As the grand strains of Schubert's " Ser 
 enade " floated out through the open windows, or 
 reverberated along the arched and frescoed ceiling 
 of the elegant apartment, the listeners preserved an 
 appreciative silence, all the more flattering when 
 we remember that not a baker's dozen of the audi 
 ence understood a word of German. 
 
 " It was all very fine and grand, no doubt, but 
 still perfect Greek, or Dutch which is about the 
 same to my poor, untutored ears," said Grace at 
 the close of the celebrated song, as she turned to 
 Rob and spoke in an undertone. 
 
A WESTERN VIEW OF CLASSIC MUSIC. 231 
 
 "Well, it was not all quite plain," returned that 
 youth, with a droll grimace ; " but it was certainly 
 p-r-r-r-r-rrretty." Then, as Grace strangled 'and 
 recovered from an effort at swallowing her own 
 chin, he added facetiously : " Did n't you recognize 
 the place where the old fellow shuffled out in his 
 wooden shoes, and, after threatening the serenader 
 with ' a schlock on the coop/ finally turned the 
 bull-dog loose?" 
 
 " No, I just did nothing of the kind ; and I do n't 
 believe you understood one word of that heathen gib 
 berish either," said Grace, with a sniff of suspicion. 
 
 " Oh, that only shows you can't interpret oper 
 atic music," Rob replied, with a derisive grin. 
 
 " Rob Warlow, you horrible creature ! I never 
 know when you are in earnest," she retorted, with 
 a puzzled look, as she smoothed down the fluffy 
 ruffles of her white muslin gown. 
 
 " Why, no honest injun! any one can learn 
 to understand this classic music. It only requires a 
 sufficient stretch of imagination, and then all is 
 clear as mud. Now, when Maud is playing Men 
 delssohn's ' Wedding March/ I can hear the cat 
 squall like a panther when the baby pulls its tail; 
 and she that is Mrs. 'Sohn takes an awful tan 
 trum when 'Sohn wants her to get up of a cold 
 morning and make a fire ; and the way they shout 
 and gabble all in Dutch would scare a krout- 
 barrel," said Rob, with perfect gravity. 
 
 "Oh, humbug!" she replied with a shrug, as 
 she flounced away to where Maud stood examining 
 a book of engravings. 
 
232 A COUPLE OF IDIOTS. 
 
 "Cliff and Mora are acting like a couple of 
 idiots, Maud," whispered Grace, as she surveyed the 
 elegant and finished picture, "The Carnival in 
 Venice," with a critical glance that reminded one 
 of a wren ; but as Maud failed to reply to this 
 personal comment, she continued in an undaunted 
 undertone : 
 
 "I don't pretend to understand flirtations, but 
 if I did, I 'd say that Mora Estill was a pronounced 
 coquette. She bears all the ear-marks of a born 
 flirt, and the way she throws herself at the head 
 of young Downels the sophisticated creature ! is 
 just shameful. But still my fingers itch none the 
 less to pull Cliff's ears ; for there he goes, with his 
 lip hanging so low you could step on it and all on 
 her account, too." 
 
 "Well, Grace, let's reserve our sympathy and 
 censure for the future," said Maud, in a tone 
 meant to discourage any further discussion of the 
 subject; and as the supper-bell announced the un 
 fashionable hour of six, and the guests were pre 
 paring to follow Mrs. Estill and Major Stork into 
 the long, fresco-paneled dining-room, Grace ceased 
 her comments, and soon forgot all about her friends 
 while leaning on the arm of Hugh Estill and hurry 
 ing into the damask-draped and luxury-laden table. 
 
 However, she noticed that Clifford and Mrs. 
 "Warfield sat next to Mora and young Downels 
 when they were, at length, all seated, and that while 
 the latter couple were silent, the former kept up a 
 semi-animated, constrained run of small talk during 
 the meal ; but she soon became so engrossed while 
 
A LOVER WHOSE LIP HANGS LOW. 233 
 
 listening to Hugh's not over-brilliant wit that all 
 else was devoid of interest. 
 
 When the many luxuries had been discussed, and 
 the guests were loitering in the parlor or sauntering 
 out upon the terrace in groups of twos and well, 
 twos also, I believe Clifford walked out alone to the 
 fountain, and sat down on a stone seat near the basin, 
 which was brimming with water. Here the broad- 
 leaved lilies floated, with their blossoms of pale 
 rose and cream, distilling an odor of entrancing 
 sweetness for yards around the cool, moss-set brim. 
 As he sat lost in bitter meditations, the twilight be 
 gan to deepen, the cicadas tuned their shrill pipes, 
 and Venus shone out with unclouded splendor over 
 the tree-tops of the valley below, followed, as she 
 has ever been, by an ardent host of glittering stars 
 and planets. That great midsummer constellation, 
 the Scorpion, seemed stinging the "milky way" 
 with its venomous tail, while the jeweled Sickle 
 sank in the west an omen that the harvest-days 
 were nearly ended. A shrill katydid, overhead in 
 the branches, heralded the coming frost, while a low 
 ripple of voices mingled with the faint notes of the 
 piano and snatches of song from within the house. 
 
 As Clifford sat, trailing a lily through the water, 
 thinking, alas ! of the time when he had strolled 
 here with Mora, only two short weeks before, and 
 how trustfully she had told him of " the mystery 
 that seemed haunting the very air of late," he found 
 it hard to realize that another had supplanted him, 
 and that henceforth they were to be as strangers. 
 But slowly it began to dawn upon him that their 
 
234 A CONTEMPTIBLE FORTUNE HUNTER. 
 
 paths had diverged since that fatal night upon the 
 starlit terrace, when she so lightly remarked upon 
 their "practicing" and "flirtation," until now he 
 felt they were rapidly and surely becoming totally 
 estranged. 
 
 " It is better that I should never, never look 
 upon her fair, proud face again ; for when I meet 
 her eyes ah ! 'what can it mean ? there seems such 
 a look of pleading, mingled with pride and some 
 thing that I can never understand that it totally 
 unmans me, and I can not trust my lips to speak 
 a word for fear of betraying the secret of my love. 
 No ; she will find that the Warlow pride will be a 
 match for her own ; for I would rather tear my 
 heart out and fling it at her feet, than have her 
 spurn my love, as only a proud creature like 
 her can. 
 
 " To know that she looks upon me as a fortune 
 hunter, and scans me with those haughty oh, 
 lovely violet eyes, classing me as 'poor and 
 proud/ but far beneath her caste, oh, Heaven ! 
 it is more than" I .can or will bear I" mentally ex 
 claimed fiery young Warlow with a flash of hot 
 wrath, which is about the best remedy known for 
 a sore heart, I really believe. 
 
 "A fortune hunter? Well, can't a fellow who 
 has yearned all his life to meet a high-bred, dainty, 
 and elegant woman, dare to love her when he does 
 meet such an ideal, for fear of being called by that 
 contemptible name?" continued our hero, impa 
 tiently plucking another water-lily, and beginning 
 
A CONTEMPTIBLE FORTUNE HUNTER. 235 
 
 to pace up and down the path in nervous haste, and 
 resuming his meditations, saying, half audibly : 
 
 " If she had only waited a few more days I 
 could have shown her that Colonel Warlow's son 
 was not the poor homesteader that pariah of the 
 cattle-king which she seems to consider me in her 
 high pride. But no ; she must throw cold water on 
 a poor devil before he has made too big a fool of 
 himself to offend her pride by a declaration, of 
 his folly. 
 
 " But she has all the refined instincts of her 
 class at any rate, and can send a disheartened, de 
 spairing wretch like me on a life-long journey of 
 dreary longing, with a sweet graciousness that I 
 must admire, though I curse it ever so bitterly !" 
 Then, as there rose vividly to his mind a picture 
 of that proud but vivacious face, lit by eyes of violet- 
 blue, and framed by the mass of raven, wavy hair ; 
 the coral, tender lips and creamy, dimpled cheeks 
 so soft and tinted ; the graceful form, in its filmy, 
 flower-wrought robe of white, he leaned against 
 the elm-tree, and covered his face with his hands 
 as though to shut the lovely vision from his sight, 
 and murmured in tones of deepest agony : 
 
 " Oh, Mora, Mora, my lost love ! how can I 
 give you up?" It seems as if I have loved you 
 from eternity; and to lose you now is like the 
 pangs of death !" 
 
 Rousing himself as the sound of retreating 
 wheels was heard below the terrace, Clifford walked 
 back to the hall-way, where he met several depart- 
 
236 SICK OF THE WORLD. 
 
 ing guests ; and as he came into the hall, with a 
 slow leaden step, he saw, with a start, that Miss 
 Estill was standing alone by the stairs, where she 
 had turned after bidding some of the guests good 
 night! When she saw his face, with its look of 
 white, tense misery, she said quickly : 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Warlow ! I have missed you for an 
 hour. You are ill, I fear." 
 
 " Yes, Miss Estill, I am sick of the world ; but 
 it is a very slight matter only a broken heart," 
 young Warlow replied, in a low, husky tone, while 
 his eyes flashed like purple amethysts. 
 
 She turned deadly white, and gave him a look 
 wherein he read a proud pity, that sent a flash of 
 hot indignation to his face ; then he bowed and 
 walked away without glancing back. 
 
 As he came into the glare of the lighted parlor, 
 Maud met him, and, after giving him a glance of 
 deep sympathy, she said with her accustomed tact : 
 
 " Clifford, you are no better, I fear ; so let 's re 
 turn home. Most of the guests are starting already, 
 although it is only nine ; but we have, like them, 
 also a long drive before us to-night." 
 
 So, bidding their hostess good-night, the War- 
 low and Moreland party started toward the hall; 
 but at the door Miss Estill met them, looking pale 
 and distrait, though regretful at their early departure. 
 
 She tarried a moment at the door, talking to 
 Maud and Grace regarding the details of the picnic ; 
 and as she stood under the full light of a large lamp, 
 held by a marble statue of Mercury, the wonderful 
 grace and beauty of her Creole face came into daz- 
 
LOVE'S AGONY. 237 
 
 zling relief, and Clifford paused with a look of 
 hungry longing on his face, while the remainder of 
 the group hurried on to where the carriage waited, 
 leaving him alone with Mora. 
 
 u I will say farewell here, Miss Estill. We shall 
 meet at the picnic, Friday, but there will be little 
 chance to bid you adieu there. I start for South 
 America the next morning to stay indefinitely ; so 
 good-bye forever I" 
 
 Even now in this trying moment, while his heart 
 turned cold with an agony that not even death could 
 equal, Clifford was true to the instincts of a gentle 
 man, and waited immovably for her to offer her 
 hand ; but she only stood and toyed with her dainty 
 fan, saying with the same cold, proud look that she 
 had given him once before that evening : 
 
 " This is very sudden. Indeed you can not be 
 in earnest; so I shall reserve my adieus until the 
 very last. I will try at the picnic to persuade you 
 to abandon such an unkind course, and remain 
 with us." 
 
 " Very well, Miss Estill, but I had forgotten to 
 tell you that I have a disclosure to make at the pic 
 nic one of grave import to you and beg for an 
 hour of your time while there. I would prefer the 
 morning, if you please. 
 
 " With pleasure, certainly," she replied ; but 
 their talk was interrupted by some guests preparing 
 to depart; so young Warlow hurriedly said good 
 night, and joined Maud and the others in the 
 carriage. 
 
 Soon they were rapidly whirling homeward up 
 
238 HOMEWAED BY STAKLIGHT. 
 
 the level, winding road; but as no one seemed to 
 be in a talking mood, the journey was rather a si 
 lent one, the monotony only relieved by a scurrying 
 flock of wild-grouse or the dim and retreating form 
 of a startled jack-rabbit, looming large and indis 
 tinct upon the level prairie. In places the tall 
 blue-stem moved in the wind with a rolling, wave- 
 like motion; then again giving place to vistas of 
 open glades, carpeted by the buffalo-grass, that the 
 rains and sun had bleached almost white. 
 
 A forecast of autumn was felt in the rising gales, 
 which moaned through the tall cottonwoods along 
 the stream ; the water flashed cold and bright under 
 the starlight, and the buffalo-birds our Western 
 whip-poor-will swooped down with a bellowing 
 roar close to the heads of our friends as they drove 
 by, indicating that a rain was near at hand. 
 
GENERAL GLOOM. 239 
 
 Chapter XIX. 
 
 A. STRANGE THEORY. 
 
 11 VR BODIES MA Y BE TENANTED BY SO UL8 THA T HA VE 
 LIVED BEFORE." 
 
 A POURING rain from a vaporrladen sky, dull 
 and gray, saluted Clifford the next morning with 
 a chill welcome ; but still the general gloom that 
 pervaded all nature was in such perfect harmony 
 with his mood that he felt a grim satisfaction, in a 
 cold, lethargic way, at the sympathy of the elements. 
 " I am growing tired of this monotonous life/' 
 he said at breakfast, " and have decided to com 
 mute my homestead and knock around in the world 
 awhile ; so if Mr. Moreland, Ralph, and you, father, 
 are willing to go to Abilene as my witnesses, we 
 will start Saturday morning. I can take the train 
 from there, and save another trip;" then seeing 
 Maud's and his mother's look of distress, he added : 
 " I may not be gone long, so I'll leave every thing 
 as it is untill my return." 
 
 " Why, Clifford, my boy, what has come over 
 you ? This is wholly unlike your nature. I had 
 always felt so glad that you were not of a roving 
 disposition, and now you fly off at a tangent, and 
 when we were not looking for any thing of the 
 kind either. It is very strange, indeed !" 
 
 Clifford made no reply, but rose from the table, 
 
240 GENERAL GLOOM. 
 
 followed by Rob, whose face was momentarily 
 growing longer and more doleful in its expression, 
 while Maud shot a warning look at her parents, 
 and as the boy's retreating footsteps giv\v fainter, 
 she answered their questioning looks by saying: 
 
 " Poor Clifford ! he is passing through that 
 course of true love which is said to never run 
 smooth, and it is best not to interfere ; but I hope 
 at the picnic to see him on better terms with Mora, 
 which may change his plans at once." 
 
 " Only a lovers' quarrel ?" said Mrs. Warlow, 
 with a troubled smile. 
 
 "No; I fear it is not so tangible as that," 
 Maud replied. " Clifford seems to have caught 
 the impression, some way, that Mora regards him 
 as a mere fortune hunter, or looks down on him for 
 his poverty ; you know that she will be equal heir 
 with Hugh in the immense Estill estate, which is 
 said to be worth half a million, she being their only 
 other child," she added, while narrowly watching 
 her parents' faces; but to her wonder, her father 
 and. mother betrayed no surprise at this last re 
 mark, which caused a doubt to enter her mind that 
 they were aware of the great discovery that Mora 
 was the daughter of Bruce and Ivarene, which she 
 had until this moment believed was a fact revealed 
 to them when the Estills made their visit, more 
 than a week before. 
 
 " Can it be that they are still ignorant of that 
 fact?" Maud mentally asked herself; and then she 
 began to wonder why the Estills had shown the 
 locket, with its pictures of Bruce and his wife, and 
 
THE STING OF POVERTY. 241 
 
 withheld from her parents the more important secret 
 that Mora was also the daughter of those ill-fated 
 friends; but her reflections were cut short by her 
 father saying, with a weary sigh : 
 
 " Ah ! this is the sting of poverty indeed ! Oh, 
 why should I have been so ill-fated as to lose two 
 fortunes in succession ?" 
 
 " George, do not grieve over the past; that's be 
 yond recall," Mrs. Warlow said gently ; then she 
 added : " It is better that my children should con 
 fine themselves to their own sphere ; for you can 
 see that if Miss Estill loved my boy, as well she 
 might, for himself alone, she would never think of 
 the difference in their wealth. It may save them a 
 life-time of misery ; for without mutual love, matri 
 mony would be a state of abject servitude." 
 
 " Well, if Clifford sees fit to take a change of 
 scene, it will serve to cure him of his attachment; 
 and if Mora, in the meantime, discovers her mistake 
 in undervaluing Clifford a fellow that any girl 
 under the sun might be proud of why, it may all 
 come out right yet," said Maud as she rose from 
 the table and began to polish and clean the great 
 silver coffee-urn, another relic of old plantation 
 glory* but which had never been considered too 
 good for every-day service. 
 
 All day Clifford worked with a fever of energy 
 to prepare for his journey, which he was compelled 
 to do ; for the picnic was set for the coming day, 
 Friday, and he had to see the Morelands to secure 
 their attendance with him at the land-office as wit 
 nesses to prove his actual residence and cultivation 
 
 21 
 
242 LOVE AND DESPONDENCY. 
 
 upon his homestead, which he had concluded to 
 commute, or in other words, pay the sum of two 
 hundred dollars to the government in lieu of five 
 years of residence and cultivation thereon. Hav 
 ing secured their testimony, or their willing prom 
 ise to accompany him to Abilene and there testify 
 to his good faith, etc., he made everything ready 
 for his departure the next morning after the picnic. 
 
 When Maud and his mother questioned him 
 regarding the destination and duration of his trip, 
 he said he would go South awhile, but evaded tell 
 ing them that he had determined to go to Buenos 
 Ayres and remain until he had made a fortune that 
 would cause Miss Estill to regard him as an equal. 
 
 He noticed the sadness, however, of the family, 
 and when he met Rob's look of grief his fortitude 
 was sorely tried, and he regretted having formed 
 such a hasty resolution. But it was too late now to 
 retreat, he foolishly concluded; so, choking down a 
 lump in his throat, he walked out to take a last 
 view of his farm. As he sauntered along in a list 
 less way, looking at the fields, every furrow of 
 which he had turned over in the past with such a 
 deep pride of ownership ; at the trees and deep 
 pools, that greeted him with the air of old friend 
 ship, he began to realize how dear the place had 
 become, and he wondered, in a self-pitying way, how 
 he could bear the existence that awaited him out 
 on the sky-begirt level and lonely pampas of the 
 Kio La Plata. 
 
 When he came to the gothic dwelling, the circle 
 of roses and trellises of luxuriant vines, the slop- 
 
LOVE AND DESPONDENCY. 243 
 
 ing orchard and vineyard, they all seemed to be 
 still imbued with the strange thought which had 
 ever haunted him while he was busied there. 
 " Here for the first time since eternity began, I 
 found a true home. All this is mine, and on this 
 spot I shall pass my life. What events will trans 
 pire here in the unknown future ! I shall know 
 joy and sorrow here, but who will share it all with 
 me ?" As these visions recurred, he thought bit 
 terly that he never had counted upon an hour of 
 trial like the present. Then, throwing himself 
 down in the shade of the old wall, he cried aloud in 
 anguish, as he buried his face in the soft, matted 
 buffalo-grass : " Oh, it is hard to part from all this 
 and only for a woman who cares nothing for me !" 
 But at length he became calmer, and as a feeling of 
 resentment towards the proud heiress began to possess 
 him, he arose and went into the house : then, after 
 taking the usual precautions against surprise, he 
 raised the trap-door and unlocked the treasure-chest. 
 
 On glancing at the heap of red gold mingled 
 with the dazzling gems, he took from the compart 
 ment the paper which he had almost forgotten hav 
 ing never read; then breaking the seal, he found 
 that it was the wills of both Bruce and his wife on 
 separate sheets of vellum, executed at Santa Fe, 
 devising all their estate each to the other, in case 
 of either dying during the long journey on which 
 they were about starting. 
 
 "I will' bring her here to-morrow. She shall 
 read the pathetic Journal of Ivarene and this will. 
 I shall tell her of the long search after the treas- 
 
244 LOVE AND DESPONDENCY. 
 
 ure, and her right to all this wealth; then, after 
 restoring both her name and fortune, there will be 
 little left for me to do but to slink away, while 
 some long-necked aristocrat will step to the fore 
 ground and carry off the prize," soliloquized our 
 hero with bitter sarcasm, as he placed the papers 
 in an inner pocket of his drab coat, and closed the 
 chest with a vicious snap. 
 
 The rain had ceased long since, and a band of 
 crimson and rose on the western horizon gave a 
 promise of fair weather on the morrow ; but Clif 
 ford lingered about the beloved place, feeling that 
 this was his farewell to a spot that had grown dear 
 as life to him in the last year. He found it hard 
 to tear himself away ; so he seated himself upon a 
 travel-worn ridge in the old trail, worn years ago 
 by the wheels of the freight wagons, but now car 
 peted thickly with the buffalo-grass, which seems 
 to delight in hiding just such an unsightly, tram 
 pled place with its pale-green tendrils. As the 
 shadows darkened among the trees, and the gloom 
 of a starless, fog-ladened night settled down with 
 a palpable silence, young Warlow became lost in 
 thought. 
 
 The scene which followed was always a mystery 
 to him; for he never knew whether he had wit 
 nessed a supernatural sight or not. He often tried 
 to persuade himself that he had lapsed into a fit of 
 transient slumber, and the whole spectacle was only 
 a vivid dream. 
 
 The time passed by unheeded, and it was near 
 the hour of ten when his fit of abstraction was 
 
A GLIMMERING CIRCLE OF PHANTOM WARRIORS. 245 
 
 broken by seeing a group of fire-flies flashing about 
 in an unnatural manner. He remembered, dimly, 
 seeing great numbers of these luminous insects con 
 gregating around the long grave, not fifty paces 
 away; and his blood grew cold as he saw, with a 
 thrill of horror, that the flashing, mazy clouds be 
 gan to slowly resolve themselves into the semblance 
 of human forms, that leaped and danced in fiendish 
 glee; now bounding high into the murky air, or 
 again brandishing weapons, that resembled war- 
 clubs and tomahawks, in a threatening and heart- 
 sickening manner. 
 
 While these mysterious forms gyrated about in 
 their unearthly war-dance, Clifford stood petrified 
 with horror and astonishment, not unmixed with a 
 strange curiosity to see how it would terminate; 
 and when the luminous figures joined hands, and 
 slowly paced about the grave, as though to the 
 chant of some wild and savage death-song, a dim 
 and glimmering circle of phantom warriors, Clifford 
 could bear it no longer, but sprang to his feet with 
 a cry of horror, that was echoed by a shriek which 
 he instantly recognized as being the voice of Rob. 
 As the skurrying hoofs went tearing away, he 
 shouted quickly: 
 
 " Rob ! Rob ! wait, it is Cliff! Come back like 
 a man, and let 's investigate ;" but he saw that at 
 the first sound of their voices the figures had 
 flashed asunder like thistle-down before a breath, 
 and now were whirling and weaving in a bewil 
 dering maze of light that melted away as he 
 gazed, and separated into the innocent flitting 
 
246 A SUPERNATURAL, VIEW. 
 
 forms of fire-flies that were hieing off to the dark 
 nooks along the stream. 
 
 As Rob came back, riding slowly and in an 
 uncertain manner, Clifford emerged from the gloom 
 of the trees into the less ebon darkness of the 
 open ground; then Rob halted and said, in a 
 shaky voice: 
 
 "I thought that I had run afoul of the old 
 devil himself when you yelled so ! What is the 
 matter, anyway?" 
 
 Briefly as possible Clifford told of the strange 
 sight which he had just witnessed a scene which 
 he then thought was more like a fevered dream 
 than a reality. 
 
 "But how does it happen you were here?" 
 he added. 
 
 "Why, we were uneasy about you, and I had 
 come in search. I knew you would be up here, 
 for I saw you walking this way. I had just got 
 here, and was going to call you, when you yelled 
 Ijke a catamount down by the old grave. What 
 does it mean, Cliff? It makes me cold yet!" he 
 added, with chattering teeth. 
 
 " Well, it ? s something that can not be explained 
 away," said Clifford, while walking back beside 
 Rob, who, too well bred to ride while another 
 walked, had dismounted, and was leading his 
 horse. " There is only one view that I can take 
 of it, and that is a supernatural one," he con 
 tinued, as Rob linked his arm within his own, and 
 they struck the road homeward. " There is a be 
 lief gaining ground, Rob, that the spirit or the 
 
POWER OF SPIRIT OVER MATTER. 247 
 
 life principle, animation, or whatever it may be 
 which we call soul after it is disembodied by 
 death, may yet linger about in some subtle, invis 
 ible form akin to electricity, and may become 
 embodied again by entering into the being of a 
 new-born child, which, if true, may account for 
 the strange resemblance we often see peering out 
 of the eyes and face of an infant that recalls some 
 long-dead friend or ancestor. It may be that the 
 power which mind wields over matter would enable 
 the strong, magnetic spirits of those savage war 
 riors, who, no doubt, died terrible deaths of vio 
 lence on this tragedy-haunted spot, to attract the 
 fire-flies, and mold them into a semblance of their 
 former bodies, or, at least, imprison them for a 
 time within the spirit outline of their former 
 selves. This, alone, would enable them to become 
 visible to our eyes, proving what we already know, 
 that without matter of a living nature the spirit 
 or magnetism, which we call soul would be always 
 as invisible as the air." 
 
 "Why, Cliff, you talk like a heathen!" replied 
 Rob, vehemently, who, though addicted to the vice 
 of swimming on the Sabbath, l hooking ' water 
 melons from the Mennonites, and hiding Easter 
 eggs, was still strictly orthodox to his boot-heels. 
 " So you think," he continued, " that a human soul 
 may take the form of a panther or a pauper which 
 ever the spirit most resembles and be cast and re 
 cast over and over again, like an old piece of boiler- 
 iron, until at last it becomes well, just what, I 'd 
 like to know?" 
 
248 A MYSTERY TO ALL. 
 
 "A good Christian being that progresses towards 
 perfection, and learns wisdom from his former mis 
 takes, I guess," replied Clifford, as they turned the 
 'horse into the pasture and sought the house. As 
 they came into the yard, he added : " If there is 
 one spot on the continent that should be haunted, 
 it certainly is the old Stone Corral and the near-by 
 crossing of the Santa Fe and Abilene Trails; for 
 there has been more crime and cruel deviltry com 
 mitted there than upon any other square mile in 
 the Western world." 
 
 The next morning broke with a cloudless sky, 
 balmy and serene. A light wind from the south 
 west lifted the ribbon of vapor along the Cotton- 
 wood, and wafted the fresh and perfumed odors 
 of wild hop- vine and water-mint, desert-sage and 
 sand-plum, oyer the garden and into the Warlow 
 breakfast-room, where Clifford was narrating to his 
 horrified parents and sister the particulars of that 
 unreal and mystery-wrapped scene which he had 
 witnessed the night before. 
 
 " It all looks so unreal in this clear daylight that 
 I am almost ashamed to repeat it," said Clifford, 
 with a nervous laugh ; but the hearers knew by the 
 look of earnest gravity on his face that there could 
 have been no mistake or deception as to his wit 
 nessing a sight that ever was a mystery to all. 
 
 "Well, this is a strange story indeed," said the 
 colonel ; " but, my boy, you must have been asleep 
 unconsciously, and when you awoke your mind was 
 in that abnormal state in which an optical illusion 
 would have seemed like reality. An illusion of 
 
BOAT-RIDING. 249 
 
 this nature is very hard to combat, from its very 
 uncertainty; and we can only reason, from general 
 principles, that it was a half-waking dream." 
 
 The preparations for the picnic put an end to 
 any further discussion, and at ten the grounds 
 were enlivened by a throng of people, all in their 
 happiest mood and best attire. 
 
 When the Estill carriage came on the ground, 
 Clifford hurried forward and assisted Miss Estill to 
 alight; then, after shaking hands with Mrs. Estill, 
 who excused her husband's absence by saying that 
 he had not returned from the Comanche Pool, 
 whither he had gone a week before, he found a seat 
 for the elder lady, and disappeared with Mora on 
 the pretext of boat-riding. 
 
 They walked in silence to where his boat was 
 tied to the trunk of a weeping elm. As Clifford 
 helped her into the seat, her warm clasp sent a 
 thrill to his heart that caused a hot flush to mount 
 to his face; but it soon receded, leaving him paler 
 and more care-worn than ever. But Mora noticed 
 that his cravat of dainty lawn was tied with that 
 precision only attained by a thorough man of fashion, 
 and the spray of snowy elder-bloom, late but fra 
 grant, combined with a solitary pansy-shaped flower, 
 pale blue with a fleck of gold at the heart, into a 
 boutonniere that denoted a taste refined and fastid 
 ious in its wearer. 
 
 They shot out into the narrow stream under 
 Clifford's vigorous strokes, and skimmed lightly 
 along through the silver-linked pools, shaded by 
 trees that were smothered by poison-ivy and wild- 
 
 22 
 
250 THE WILLS AND THE JOURNAL. 
 
 grape vines, that trailed in the water with their 
 purple-laden tendrils of ripening fruit. At length 
 they reached the bank near young Warlow's dwell 
 ing, after a journey which he thought had lasted 
 for an age, but which, to be correct, was just four 
 minutes in duration. There had been an attempt 
 on her part at conversation, but seeing the far-away 
 look in his eyes and the expression of haggard misery 
 on his white, handsome face, she became more cold 
 and reserved than ever, and sat with averted face, 
 trailing a gaudy cardinal-flower through the water. 
 
 On landing, he again encountered her hand, 
 which did not fail to send an electric shock through 
 him, as he assisted her ashore, and for a moment he 
 thought that she held his hand longer than the occa 
 sion required, and he raised his eyes to her face 
 with a quick flash of joy; but the downcast look 
 and pale cheeks which he saw, sent the blood back 
 to his heart with a sickening chill, and they walked 
 together in silence up toward his dwelling. 
 
 When they reached the house he led the way to 
 the spring and motioning her to a seat under the 
 shade of that giant elm, he drew the wills forth and 
 handed them to her saying: 
 
 "Here, Miss Estill, is what makes you the 
 greatest heiress in this western land !" then, as she 
 silently read them through and lifted a puzzled face 
 to his, he handed her the Journal of Ivarene, and 
 watched breathlessly, while she became flushed and 
 pale by turns while perusing the faded and time- 
 worn paper. 
 
 "Ah ! poor, ill-fated Ivarene ! what could have 
 
THE FORTUNE HUNT. 251 
 
 become of her and that helpless infant, and brave 
 Bruce too ?" she cried, with tears in her eyes. 
 
 "The parents were murdered, no doubt, by that 
 mad hunter, and the child was stolen and left at 
 EstilPs ranch along with a locket containing the 
 name of Morelia and the pictures of Bruce and 
 Ivarene. The mysterious kinsman buried on the 
 hill-top was Olin Estill, who was only the mad 
 hunter in disguise, who stole that blue-eyed, dark- 
 haired daughter, named Morelia." 
 
 "Ah! you believe me to be the daughter of 
 Bruce and his lovely wife !" said Mora, springing 
 to her feet, while tears rained from her eyes, and 
 her hands were wrung with deep emotion. 
 
 "Yes, I am certain that you are Morelia Wai- 
 raven. I had suspected this from the hour that 
 father called you Ivarene, and I set to work ear 
 nestly to recover the lost fortune, which I believed 
 was buried near this spot. I worked faithfully, 
 Miss Estill, to restore it all to you, knowing full 
 well, all the while, that when found it would only 
 widen the gulf between me and the cattle-king's 
 daughter an hundred-fold. I will not dwell on the 
 horrors of that fortune hunt, nor its perils, when I 
 fought that gray-robed demon, which glared at you 
 upon the grave-capped hill; how I struggled with 
 that murderous spectre in the darkness of midnight, 
 after being greeted in a noisome pit by a gigantic 
 rattlesnake, which I slew as it writhed at my feet, 
 with certain death in its fangs; nor the horror I 
 felt when it was dead, at length, to grasp a human 
 skull, that mocked me with eyeless sockets and 
 
252 THE LOST TREASURE REVEALED. 
 
 grinning teeth when I snatched it from the buried 
 cask hoping I had found the casket of gems. 
 
 ' r But come with me, and I will show you that 
 the "Warlow honor and pride is no vain boast; 
 that the poor planter's son can face danger and 
 death for the sake of right alone." 
 
 Then, as she followed, pale and trembling, into 
 the room, he threw back the lid of the treasure- 
 chest, and the red gold, the glorious rays from frosty 
 pearls, sparkling diamonds, blood-red rubies, and 
 strange green emeralds mingled, in a dazzling glare, 
 with the sheen of fire-opals and the glint of ame 
 thysts of purple, lilac, and rose. 
 
 " Here, Morelia Walraven, is your lost treasure, 
 your million of gems and gold, your proud name 
 and ancestral hall, which I restore," as he handed 
 her the deed of Monteluma. " To-morrow I shall 
 leave home and country, friends dearer than life, to 
 prove to prove to you I am not that vile thing 
 which you take me for a Fortune Hunter !" 
 
 She merely glanced at the pile of dazzling 
 wealth ; then raised her eyes that glittered through 
 her tears like the turquois among the gold, and 
 while he poured forth a torrent of hot words that 
 seemed to come from his very soul, her color came 
 and went until a burning blush spread over her face, 
 and in a choking gasp she essayed to speak. When 
 he had ceased, she gazed a moment up into his face, 
 seamed and drawn in lines of white agony, then she 
 cried out: 
 
 " Oh ! what do I care for all this dross, whose 
 daughter I may be, or my pride of ancestry? 
 
253 
 
 Clifford oh, Clifford ! you shall never leave me. 
 I will die if you do. I love you ! Oh, will I have 
 to say it? yes, I love you better than all the 
 world beside. No, no ! you shall never leave me !" 
 she said, with her white arms about his neck and 
 her soft, warm cheek pressed close to his; and 
 and well, I just skipped out there, leaving them 
 alone with a scene that was growing too unutterably 
 " rich for my blood," to use a Western phrase ; but 
 half an hour later, as they strolled back to the boat 
 I overheard him say : 
 
 " But why, my love, did you look so proud and 
 cold in the hall when I came in at your house only 
 the other night?" 
 
 "Proud and cold, indeed," she replied, with a 
 gay laugh, as she shot a look of mingled love and 
 amazement into his beaming eyes. " Now, that 
 shows how well you can read a woman's heart, sir. 
 Dear Clifford," she added, tearfully, " do you know, 
 you dear blind boy, that at that very time I was 
 wretched and miserable, and longed to kiss you and 
 say that I had waited for years for just such an ideal 
 as you are ?" 
 
 " It is not too late now for that !" he cried rap 
 turously, as they passed under the boughs of a 
 drooping tree, then followed a sound so explosive 
 that I beat a hasty retreat from such a danger- 
 fraught vicinity, and never came near again until 
 their boat touched shore. Maud came to them as 
 they landed, and said : 
 
 " Where have you been, truants? I have missed 
 you for an hour." 
 
254 IN PARADISE. 
 
 " In paradise," replied Clifford, with such a look 
 of happy abandon that Maud started joyfully ; then 
 Mora said, with a blush, as she clasped her arms 
 about the form of delighted Maud : 
 
 "Yes, I have coaxed him to stay forever; but 
 I had to propose to the selfish being before he would 
 promise at all." 
 
 Then Maud, seeing the tears of earnestness that 
 began to start, kissed her new sister and Clifford 
 very tenderly, saying, between her smiles and 
 tears : 
 
 " Oh, this is happiness indeed !" which sentiment 
 seemed to be fully shared by the radiant couple 
 whom she addressed. 
 
 Maud was not long in finding an excuse to leave 
 the lovers to themselves; and when she had disap 
 peared among the throng, they sauntered on to a 
 secluded seat, under a vine-canopied tree, where the 
 trailing bitter-sweet swept the closely-cropped grass 
 with its graceful tendrils, loaded with a burden of 
 orange and pink berries. Here, secure from intru 
 sion, they could see the crowd of well-dressed peo 
 ple loitering about in detached groups, but were far 
 enough removed from them to talk in that confi 
 dential strain peculiar to newly-mated young people, 
 with no fear of interruption. 
 
 " When shall we reveal to your parents the dis 
 coveries which I disclosed to you to-day, Mora?" 
 said Clifford, in a low tone. 
 
 " Let us be in no haste, Clifford," she replied ; 
 " for father is away, and mother would be un 
 nerved and agitated at the revelation. Then we 
 
SENTIMENT AND BUSINESS. 255 
 
 will have several guests to entertain for the next 
 week, as Mrs. Potter and Miss Hanford will remain 
 with us after the picnic. So I believe it would be 
 best to defer it for a week or two." 
 
 " But what shall be done in the meantime with 
 the treasure, Mora dear? There is a million dollars 
 in gold and gems lying there in that chest. I trem 
 ble to think what the result might be if its existence 
 were suspected in such an unprotected spot." 
 
 " Well, sir, you must nerve yourself to the task of 
 not only caring for it, but of me also in the future," 
 she replied, with a furtive caress; and, judging from 
 his looks, he appeared to be equal to the latter re 
 sponsibility at least. 
 
 " I have made arrangements to start to Abilene 
 in the morning to commute my homestead and se 
 cure a title to it before the great sale of public 
 lands Monday, which, it is said, will be sold at a 
 very low figure," he replied, returning her caress 
 with compound interest. 
 
 " Cliiford, it looks mercenary and not at all sen 
 timental for us to talk of business at such a time ; 
 but still we can love one another no less for that. 
 The time is very short before that sale. It is a 
 critical moment. I advise you to buy all the land 
 that you can Monday ; it will be very valuable soon," 
 she said, with that mingling of sentiment and busi- 
 'ness peculiar to Western women. 
 
 " I shall invest what little I possess in that way, 
 Mora ; it is secure at least. I have always longed to 
 own more of the land to the north of the corral ; and 
 this is, as you say, a golden opportunity to acquire it." 
 
256 SENTIMENT AND BUSINESS. 
 
 Then there was silence for a moment as Clifford 
 sadly thought how little he really had for in 
 vestment compared to the hoard that was lying 
 useless in the chest. His father's gold was there 
 still, but he had no real claim upon it ("I must de 
 liver it to-night," he mentally concluded) ; and an 
 involuntary sigh escaped him at the thought that 
 strangers yet might control all that rolling, fertile 
 prairie to the north, which he had vainly dreamed 
 of owning. 
 
 As if divining his thoughts, Mora quickly said, 
 as her hand sought his own with a gentle clasp: 
 
 " Why not use some of that idle treasure for 
 this purpose, Clifford? If it is mine, as it really 
 seems to be, there will be no harm in investing part 
 of it in that way. The emergency is great for de 
 cision and swift action, so I really believe you should 
 take a large sum along for that purpose, not less 
 than fifty thousand dollars of the recovered treas 
 ure, at least." 
 
 " You dear, clear-headed little woman !" he re 
 plied radiantly ; " that is a capital plan indeed ; so, 
 if you think it best, I will take that sum with me, 
 and invest it in land for your benefit." 
 
 " No, no ; you misunderstand me, Clifford ; it is 
 for your benefit that I made the suggestion. You 
 may take it as a loan, and repay me some time in 
 the future," she added, demurely. 
 
 He was on the point of making some laughing 
 rejoinder, when he started at the recollection that it 
 seemed like fate when he recalled the loan of ex 
 actly fifty thousand dollars which Ivareue had 
 
A WILD WESTERN PICNIC. 257 
 
 tendered his father, of which Mora was in total 
 ignorance. Then, in a low tone, he told her of the 
 strange coincidence, where history was repeating 
 itself; but he had not finished the story when a 
 summons to dinner was heard, and he accompanied 
 Mora to the Estill carriage, finishing the recital as 
 they walked slowly thither. 
 
 There were several guests clustered about the 
 carriage, and Clifford accepted an invitation to re 
 main for dinner, which Mrs. Estill gave him, and 
 with Mora and young Downels, Miss Hanford and 
 Mrs. Potter, Clifford was soon busy helping to 
 spread the dinner on the snowy cloth beneath the 
 shade of a dense-foliaged elm. When the hampers 
 were unpacked and they were all seated upon the 
 grass about the cloth, it was evident that the Estills 
 could not be taxed with the sin of inhospitality, for 
 they had brought enough in their hampers for an 
 extra dozen guests. 
 
 There was boned turkey, hinting of sweet mar 
 joram, garnished with quivering moulds of cherry- 
 jelly ; chicken salad, with sprays of parsley ; tank 
 ards of silver and glass, filled with creamy milk ; 
 tall glasses of jelly pink, amber, and crimson ; 
 pyramids of cake, bronzed and frosty, that con 
 veyed a faint suspicion they were only meant for 
 show ; great baskets of silver, marvels of frostwork 
 on flower and vine, piled high with purple grapes, 
 peaches of white and crimson, and golden oranges, 
 all of which, alas ! were the contribution of far-off 
 California. 
 
 Young Downels sat near Mora, who was as 
 
258 A WILD WESTERN PICNIC. 
 
 fascinating and gracious as ever; but Clifford felt 
 a contentment and trust too deep for jealousy, and 
 was gay and witty to such a degree that Downels 
 began to have a suspicion of the true situation, 
 which was in no wise allayed when he saw their 
 eyes meet in a quick flash of love and admiration ; 
 so he speedily transferred his attentions to Miss 
 Hanford, who seemed not at all averse to receiving 
 them "ad infinitum." 
 
 An afternoon of unalloyed bliss followed, and 
 when our hero placed Mora in the carriage, he 
 had given her a promise to ride down on his 
 return from Abilene, the following week ; then, as 
 the stately barouche rolled away, he hurried home 
 ward to complete his preparations for to-morrow's 
 journey. 
 
 At the supper-table, which was spread at a later 
 hour than usual, Colonel Warlow looked grave and 
 care-worn, while his wife was sad and thoughtful, 
 remembering that Clifford was to leave them, per 
 haps forever, and this was his last night under the 
 home-roof, a delusion which he was soon to dis 
 pel. Maud's face wore a look of cheerfulness 
 which puzzled her parents, who had not witnessed 
 their son's manuevres during the day ; and Rob's 
 eyes fairly danced with suppressed excitement. 
 
"MY LONG LOST GOLD DOUBLOONS." 259 
 
 Chapter X X. 
 
 ' ( TV yf Y boy, it is a sad day for us all when you leave 
 1VJL the home nest. We shall miss you more than 
 I can express," said the colonel at length. " Ah ! 
 I had hoped to see you settled near us in our old 
 age in this grand country. Clifford, I have seen a 
 great many regions on this continent famous for 
 their beauty and fertility, but this is the only place 
 that I have ever seen where I would be perfectly 
 content to live and die. You have yet to learn 
 that ' distant hills ' are no greener than those of 
 home, and you will travel the wide world over and 
 find no other place to compare with this, my son. 
 I have been thinking to-day, Clifford," continued 
 his father, as he pushed his plate of untasted food 
 back on the table and folded his napkin " that if 
 I had only a tithe of the fortune that I once lost 
 on this spot, it might be enhanced an hundred-fold 
 at the great land-sale Monday; for I learn by to 
 day's Times that the Mastodon Bank has failed, car 
 rying down in its collapse all the parties who had 
 the lands condemned for sale, so now they are un 
 able to bid at the auction, and hundreds of thou 
 sands of acres will be sold at a few cents an acre 
 without competition. Oh, I realize that it is bitter, 
 indeed, to be poor, my boy, for it is only your am 
 bition that drives you from us," and, rising, he 
 paced back and forth with bowed head, while Mrs. 
 
260 A MOMENT OF ANGUISH. 
 
 Warlow's tears flowed unchecked as she thought of 
 the long, dreary years that might drag on before her 
 beloved boy returned. 
 
 The Warlow family were never demonstrative. 
 There was always a matter-of-fact regard for each 
 other ; but this moment of sorrow brought to the 
 surface a depth of family affection of which Clifford 
 had never dreamed, and, as his father proceeded, he 
 became more deeply affected than he ever had been 
 before. 
 
 He thought, " The old days of trial and poverty 
 are over forever/' and as the realization of the great 
 change, and his narrow escape from the misery of 
 self-exile flashed upon him, he leaned his head upon 
 his hands, and a great sob shook his frame, while 
 hot tears yes, tears, which danger and the despair 
 of a hopeless love had failed to wring now fell in 
 a torrent, as the storm of emotion, new and strange, 
 surged in his breast. 
 
 "Oh, Clifford Clifford ! I thought you were 
 not going," cried Maud, white with anguish. 
 
 " Cliff, I can ? t bear to see you leave," sobbed 
 Robbie, while he clung to Clifford with the des 
 peration born of his grief at the very thought of 
 parting with his only brother. 
 
 " Clifford, what does this mean ?" said Maud, 
 seized by a nameless dread ; but Clifford only 
 answered by pushing back the table, the cover of 
 which swept the floor and had concealed the object 
 that was now revealed in the lamp-light. 
 
 " Gold ! gold !" cried Maud in amazement, as 
 
AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES. 261 
 
 her eyes caught the glitter of doubloons heaped 
 upon the floor. 
 
 " Oh God ! my lost fortune !" said the colonel 
 in a hoarse whisper, as he knelt beside the half- 
 emptied sacks, which he remembered at a glance. 
 
 " My brother Clifford you are a grand hero," 
 shrieked Maud, wild with excitement and relief, 
 and then ensued a contest between herself and 
 mother who should first strangle our young friend 
 in their embraces. 
 
 " Hero, nothing !" said Rob, who had just 
 blown his nose upon the table-cloth with a snort 
 like a porpoise, and who was still blubbering in a 
 suspicious manner ; " heroes do n't drip at the nose 
 like a hydrant; but all the same he is a damn 
 good fellow," he added, with a vigorous slap on his 
 brother's back. 
 
 " I have something else to show you over at 
 my dwelling," said Clifford, recovering from his 
 emotion, and smiling up at Rob ; " and, if you will 
 drive around there, I will row ahead and light the 
 lamps ;" then, without waiting to explain, he hur 
 ried out into the night. Although they were de 
 voured by curiosity, they soon concealed the gold, 
 and were driven rapidly up to the corral. 
 
 " I bet my boot-heels that Cliff has got that old 
 spook chained up here, feeding him like a pauper," 
 said Rob, in a tone of confidence, to Maud a re 
 mark which elicited no reply, however, for she was 
 puzzling over the strange discovery which she knew 
 Clifford had made. 
 
262 AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES. 
 
 When they arrived at his dwelling he met them 
 at the door, which he closely locked behind them ; 
 then, going to the sunken chest, he threw back the 
 lid, and a wavering glare of gems and red gold 
 flashed out with a splendor which dazzled and 
 almost blinded the astonished group. 
 
 "The treasure of Monteluma!" exclaimed the 
 colonel, in a tone of deep emotion. 
 
 "Oh, those frosty, glimmering pearls!" said 
 Maud, exulting in the splendor of the jewels that she 
 loved so well, and had always dreamed of owning. 
 
 " What a pile of lucre !" cried Rob, dancing 
 about in delight. " Lordy ! if I owned all this tin, 
 I 'd make the shekels fly for awhile, you bet ! First, 
 I'M swap that slow, flea-bitten broncho for Ed 
 Porter's white pony, if I had to give even twenty 
 dollars to boot ; then next I M have me a brand- 
 new hat a broad brim, too none of your flimsy 
 old wool things, but an eight-dollar sombrero, thick 
 as a board, with a leather band an inch wide ; then 
 two cravats and " 
 
 "And ?" said Clifford with a quizzical smile, as 
 Rob began to show signs of an embarrassment of 
 riches. 
 
 " Well, that's all, unless it is a pair of high-top 
 boots, like Johnnie Russell's with stars and new 
 moons of red and yellow leather on 'em." 
 
 "You are a reckless spenth rift, Rob. Thirty- 
 five dollars gone already !" said Clifford, laughingly, 
 as his young brother's eyes continued to gloat ever 
 the million of heaped-up riches in the chest. 
 
 " Clifford, my son, how did you find all this 
 
INVESTMENTS CONSIDEEED. 263 
 
 treasure ? It seems like enchantment," Mrs. War- 
 low asked, in an anxious tone. 
 
 " Mother, it is too long a story to relate now ; 
 but when I return from Abilene I '11 give all the 
 particulars. It is ten now," he said, glancing at his 
 watch, "and we must start at six sharp, in the 
 morning, so there is but little time to spare." 
 
 "Yes," said the colonel, recovering from the 
 stupor of amazement into which he had fallen, "we 
 will start to the land-office early in the morning; 
 for I have determined to invest twenty thousand of 
 our new-found money in land ; it seems providential 
 that it should come just now. I had been griev 
 ing so much of late that this golden opportunity 
 would pass by ; but, thank God ! it will come out 
 right yet." 
 
 Maud, ever tactful and' alert, seeing that Clifford 
 was unwilling to explain the particulars of the dis 
 covery, hurried their departure for home. When 
 they had all driven away, young Warlow filled one 
 of the sacks with coin, and placed it in a trunk of 
 clothing that was ready packed, locked the door be 
 hind, and slowly rowed down ; but he had delayed 
 long enough to be certain of finding that they had 
 all retired when he arrived home. 
 
 In the morning Colonel Warlow was too unwell 
 to appear at the breakfast-table, and finding that his 
 indisposition was of too serious a nature to admit of 
 his traveling that day, Clifford received twenty thou 
 sand dollars nearly thirteen hundred Mexican doub 
 loons from his father, with the instruction to invest 
 it in land at his discretion. The colonel told Clif- 
 
264 IRON MOUND AND SOLDIER'S CAP. 
 
 ford at parting to consider half of the moiiey as bis 
 own; so with a light heart the youth started out on 
 his third essay at "fortune hunting." 
 
 Accompanied by Squire Moreland and Ralph, 
 who had unconsciously helped to load the Warlovv 
 carriage with more than seventy thousand dollars in 
 gold, secreted in two innocent-looking trunks, Clif 
 ford took the winding trail for Abilene just as the 
 sun appeared above the rim of the eastern hills. It 
 was a cool, dry July morning, very favorable for 
 producing that Western phenomenon, the mirage; 
 and as they emerged from the corn-fields and tall 
 thickets of blue-stem of the valley onto the rolling 
 uplands, carpeted with buffalo-grass, a scene of 
 mysterious grandeur burst upon their sight. 
 
 Objects that were miles away appeared close at 
 hand, plain and distinct in the pure, clear air; and 
 although a lofty ridge twenty miles wide inter 
 posed, all the valley of the Smoky Hill was rolled 
 out like a map before them. The winding river, 
 fringed by trees and groves; the wide prairie valley, 
 flecked with white villages; a long train on the 
 Union Pacific, "fleeing like a dragon through the 
 level fields and leaving a breath of smoke behind," 
 seemed but a few miles away. 
 
 The Iron Mound, sixty miles distant, loomed off 
 to the north-west, and far beyond appeared the faint 
 outline of the Soldier's Cap a towering headland, 
 that, like a giant's helmet, seemed to guard all the 
 Saline Valley, but now dwarfed, by the hundred 
 miles which intervened, to a mere dot upon the 
 horizon. 
 
THE MIRAGE." 265 
 
 The Smoky Hills flamed up in a long line of 
 purple, jagged buttes on the west, while to the south 
 stretched away the fat prairies of the Russian Men- 
 nonite colony, their quaint, old-world villages of 
 thatch and white-plastered adobe clustering thickly 
 over the level plain that was begemmed by lakes of 
 waving water, or what appeared to be such, but 
 which in reality was only an optical illusion caused 
 by a glare of rarefied atmosphere. Soon these 
 phantom lakes began to flood the prairie with a 
 wavering shimmer. Broad rivers became momen 
 tarily wider, until all the landscape was submerged 
 and the villages swam in a sea of water a moment, 
 sinking down at length like foundered ships, the 
 white buildings towering up strangely like masts, 
 which, at last, all sank from sight, leaving only a 
 glare of silver behind. 
 
 Soon nature resumed her wonted aspect, though 
 it seemed strangely unreal to see the Iron Mound 
 sink slowly as they ascended the ridge, until it was 
 lost to view, and what had been the Smoky Valley 
 but a moment before was now the rolling highland 
 which they had to traverse for hours before reach 
 ing their destination. For a space of twenty miles 
 square, not a solitary house was to be seen. In 
 fact, after leaving the valley the only sign of life 
 visible was a distant herd along some timber- fringed 
 stream, by which the picturesque and fertile tract 
 was threaded, or a long line of antelope, that would 
 cautiously keep to the highest ridges as they loped 
 away in single file. 
 
 The ridged and travel worn-trail, where in 
 23 
 
266 INQUIRY FOR INFORMATION. 
 
 former years the herds of Texas and New Mexico 
 had been driven along to Abilene, was now disused 
 and lonely, as the traffic had been transferred to 
 more western points; so our friends were relieved 
 on reaching their destination after a monotonous 
 drive of half a day. 
 
 Driving to a bank, Clifford deposited the un 
 sealed bags of gold within the safe of that institu 
 tion, while his two .companions were looking for a 
 hotel ; then, next, young Warlow wrote a long and 
 carefully worded dispatch to the American minister 
 at Mexico, inquiring for information concerning 
 Bruce Walraven and his wife, Herr Von Brunn and 
 his wife Labella, and also the status of Monteluma, 
 with a request for an immediate reply, that was no 
 doubt facilitated by the information which the banker 
 telegraphed, at Clifford's request, for the privilege 
 of reference. 
 
 Without difficulty Clifford perfected the title to 
 his homestead before the land officers. Then, in a 
 fever of restlessness, our hero passed the interven 
 ing time until Monday morning, when he received 
 a dispatch from the minister at the City of Mexico, 
 stating that no trace could be found of either of the 
 parties inquired for; that the old mansion of Mon 
 teluma had been confiscated during the " French 
 invasion," but the estate was held by a wealthy 
 foreign nobleman ; that the agent of that nobleman 
 was absent at Durango, so no further particulars 
 could be learned until his return, etc. 
 
 " This is the last evidence in the proof that 
 Mora is heiress to all the new-found treasure," men- 
 
A GIGANTIC LAND-SALE. 267 
 
 tally exclaimed young Warlow as he hurried into 
 the land-office and elbowed his way through the 
 dense throng of spectators to the desk, where the 
 receiver was gloomily saying, " that the sale would 
 be a failure, unless the agent of Lord Scholeigh 
 arrived, which was improbable now, owing to the 
 storm near St. Louis, that had prostrated the wires 
 and stopped travel." 
 
 " Proceed with the sale, if you please ; I would 
 like to bid in a tract," said Clifford quietly. Then, 
 after several tracts in small bodies had been pur 
 chased by the bystanders, he began to bid in section 
 after section at fifty cents an acre ; and when the 
 amount ran up to ten, twenty, and twenty-three 
 thousand acres, the crowd began to grow curious, 
 and jostled each other to get a better view of the 
 man who could bid in so quietly a six-mile square 
 tract without faltering; but the grave-faced and 
 gray-clad young ranchman, with no ornament about 
 him save a gold buckle to the collar of his brown 
 flannel shirt, kept steadily on, without any opposi 
 tion, perfectly heedless of the scrutiny. 
 
 " He is a son of Colonel Warlow on the Cot- 
 tonwood, who fell heir to a cool million from Cali 
 fornia, the other day," said a man, in a tone just 
 loud enough to reach Clifford's ears, and the re 
 ceiver wondered what the handsome young man 
 found to smile at as he bid in the last section of 
 sixty-nine thousand acres ; but how should he know 
 that Clifford was amused at the remark, thinking 
 that the small legacy had grown, like the story of 
 the " five black crows." 
 
268 A GIGANTIC LAND-SALE. 
 
 " Young man," said the receiver, in a tone of 
 arrogant suspicion. " I shall insist on some proof 
 of your ability to pay such a large sum before I 
 proceed further." 
 
 " Very well, sir," replied Clifford, blowing a 
 wreath of cigar-smoke into the official's face as he 
 coolly handed him his certificate of deposit, subject 
 to check of seventy thousand dollars, given Satur 
 day evening after the banker had counted the gold. 
 Then, young Warlow began to realize the prestige 
 which wealth gives, as he saw the look of insolence 
 on the officer's face quickly give place to respectful 
 wonder, as he proceeded at once with the auction. 
 
 When the figures had reached a hundred thou 
 sand acres the crowd gave way to cheers, which 
 swelled to a perfect tumult when six townships 
 nearly one hundred and thirty-nine thousand acres 
 were knocked down to the young bidder, who re 
 fused to bid any further, and the sale closed. 
 
 Clifford wrote out a check for the sum of sixty- 
 nine thousand one hundred and twenty dollars, and 
 received the receiver's certificate, which entitled the 
 purchaser to a deed for the tract. As the officer 
 closed the sale and the papers changed hands in the 
 bank, a noted " wheat-king" hurried in and told 
 Clifford that the New York agent of Lord Scho- 
 leigh was coming on a special train, fast as steam 
 could carry him, and requested our young friend to 
 await the arrival, as the agent had been detained 
 by storms and wash-outs while en route to the sale ; 
 and the kingly real estate agent further intimated 
 
THE GRAY SPECTRE. 269 
 
 that a fine profit on the purchase could be realized 
 if Clifford was willing to sell. 
 
 So our hero consented to remain, and when the 
 agent arrived he was almost stunned by the offer 
 of double the price he had paid ; the agent offering 
 to take the entire tract at one dollar an acre. After 
 some deliberation Clifford consummated a sale of 
 seventy-five thousand acres, keeping a township, 
 six miles square, for himself, and forty thousand 
 acres for his father; and finding that he had sev 
 enty-five thousand dollars left. " Equal," the 
 wheat-king said, " to the Dutchman's profit of ten 
 per schent." 
 
 Clifford found it was an easy matter to induce 
 the receiver to accept the agent's certified check on 
 New York in exchange for his own. Then he ar 
 ranged to leave the bag of doubloons, sealed, and 
 only left for safety until he could return them to 
 the chest; but the twenty-five thousand dollars of 
 profit he deposited with the bank, subject to check. 
 Having bought a heavy steel safe, with time-lock, 
 and leaving orders for it to be delivered at once, 
 he returned home on Tuesday morning, proud and 
 happy over the result of his transaction. 
 
 When he arrived at home, he was met by Rob, 
 who was pale and excited. When Clifford had 
 hurriedly asked after his father's welfare, Rob re 
 plied that their parent was well, but a strange acci 
 dent had occurred out near the secret cavern. He 
 proceeded to tell how the gray-robed spectre had 
 darted out from among the tall blue-stem, while one 
 
270 EAGLE BEAK. 
 
 of their workmen was mowing near there. The ap 
 parition had so startled the horses that they became 
 unmanageable, and when the strange figure, in a 
 reckless manner, had sprung at their heads, they 
 had whirled, throwing the crazied being under the 
 sickle and mangling him so horribly that he only 
 lived a moment. His body was carried to the cell, 
 where it was now lying. This had occurred only a 
 few hours before, and all the family were up there 
 awaiting Clifford's return. 
 
 Mounting a fresh horse, Clifford galloped rap 
 idly up the winding pathway, fearing he hardly 
 dared to think what. " Could it be that he would 
 soon stand beside the mangled form of Bruce Wai- 
 raven, Mora's father?" he was thinking as he dis 
 mounted at the well-remembered plum-thicket, and 
 hitched his hor*se to a tree. 
 
 A moment later Maud flew out with a low cry 
 of delight, and while embracing Clifford, she cried 
 tearfully : -, 
 
 " Oh, I am inexpressibly relieved. It is not 
 Bruce, as we feared, but it 's that blood-stained Eagle 
 Beak, Olin Estill's partner in crime and final victim." 
 
 " Why, Maud ! how do you know ?" said he, 
 breathless with suspense. 
 
 u They found a silver breastplate, such as were 
 worn by chiefs in the early days, and on the medal 
 was an engraving of the beak of an eagle ; while 
 on the reverse, now worn dim, was the name, 
 1 Eagle Beak/ This large plate was hung about 
 his neck by a heavy chain of silver, which was riv 
 eted so it is impossible to remove it without filing 
 
EAGLE BEAK. 271 
 
 it through, and the links have worn into the flesh 
 oh, horrible!" she replied, with a shudder of 
 disgust. 
 
 With reluctant steps Clifford sought the cavern, 
 where his parents and the Moreland family were 
 grouped about the door; and after a few minutes 
 of greeting, he went in alone to where the corpse 
 was lying cold and still ; and when he had removed 
 the white sheet from its face, he stood long and 
 silently regarding the revolting picture of depravity 
 and ferocious cunning that even yet showed on 
 every feature, frozen in the rigid calm of death. 
 
 " No, thank God ! this is not the face of noble 
 Bruce; but still it is that of a white man some 
 wretched desperado, who had fled from the aveng 
 ing arm of justice, and had gained sway over a 
 band of savages as brutal and vicious, but less dar 
 ing and cunning than himself," thought young 
 Warlow. " This certainly is a sermon on the 
 retribution which Providence holds in store for 
 those who perpetrate such crimes of inhuman 
 atrocity as this wretch is stained with," he said, 
 as Maud came into the cell. 
 
 They buried the remains upon a lofty hill near 
 by, the top of which was visible from their homes 
 in the valley; no ceremony was observed, but 
 the horrible details of burial were delegated to 
 a few workmen from the hay-field, and by three 
 that afternoon only a small mound of clay re 
 mained to tell of a life that had been but a fever 
 of bloody deeds. 
 
 Once long years after as Clifford stood in 
 
272 "DEACON" WARLOW'S STRANGE CREED. 
 
 the twilight with Maud, they heard the jabbering 
 wail of a wolf on the grave-crowned hill, and Clif 
 ford said : 
 
 "If the departed soul does hover about the 
 grave after death, seeking re-embodiment, then 
 Eagle Beak has surely been born again in the 
 form of a wolf; for he was the very incarnation, 
 no doubt, of such a beast during his existence 
 here. I never pass by that thistle-grown and 
 nettle-hidden grave without a shudder; and often 
 in the dismal night, when just such a piercing 
 howl resounds from that hill-top, I vaguely fancy 
 it is the soul of Eagle Beak mourning because of 
 the limited sphere of deviltry in which his ' wolf- 
 life ' constrains his savage spirit." 
 
 " Oh, Clifford ! will you never outgrow such, 
 idle fancies?" Maud exclaimed. 
 
 "No, never so long as I meet foxes, jackals, 
 and hyenas every day, that are only veiled by a 
 human form very thinly disguised often and it 
 is God's goodness, alone, that finally denies them 
 that mask." 
 
 " Clifford, my brother, what a strange belief for 
 'Deacon' Warlow, pillar of the Church, and first 
 in all good deeds of Christian charity and enter 
 prise in his community, to entertain and express," 
 she replied, with a look of strange interest dawning 
 in her beautiful but matronly face. 
 
 " Well, Maud, I find abundant proof in the 
 Bible to substantiate this faith," he answered, 
 gravely, "while our lives teem with the evidence 
 of its truth." 
 
273 
 
 But I have digressed too long already, and will 
 return to my theme. 
 
 As they drove back home from the death- 
 haunted cell, Clifford told his parents of his search 
 for the treasure; how, after discovering the gems, 
 he had been convinced that the gold was also 
 secreted near, and his ultimate success in discov 
 ering it buried in the grave that Roger Coble had 
 noticed when he rescued his father after the mas 
 sacre. The finding of Ivarene's Journal, his en 
 gagement to Mora, and discovery that she was the 
 daughter of Bruce and his ill-fated wife, and the 
 successful speculation in which he had figured with 
 such great profit at Abilene, were left unrevealed, 
 as Clifford thought his father was not strong enough 
 to bear the strain of such excitement yet. 
 
 With Maud he was not so reticent, and after 
 supper he told of the success at the land-office, and 
 the use he had made at Mora's request of part of 
 the recovered treasure. 
 
 After Maud had expressed her unbounded joy 
 at the substantial results of that venture, Clifford 
 noticed a shade of anxiety and sadness settle down 
 on her face, and he hastened to say, while reaching 
 up to gather a spray of trumpet-flowers that swung 
 its blossoms of black, crimson, and salmon in heavy 
 festoons over the latticed gateway : " Maud, you 
 dear, unselfish creature, I know that you and 
 Ealph are about to begin life together, and, when 
 father offered me half of the twenty thousand dol 
 lars, I just mentally Concluded to give you the 
 benefit of it. It seems to me you ought to keep 
 
 24 
 
274 A STRANGE DREAM. 
 
 the pot boiling with twenty thousand acres of 
 good land." 
 
 While Maud hung about his neck, her tear 
 ful face hidden on his shoulder, her brother 
 continued : 
 
 " Poor Ralph will need a great deal of encour 
 agement from you. I have been in that very kind 
 of a boat myself lately, and know how to sympa 
 thize with him." 
 
 Soon he was galloping down to the Estill 
 ranch; but I will not intrude upon the privacy 
 of that meeting between himself and Mora, only 
 leaving it all to the imagination of the reader. 
 Mr. Estill had not returned yet, so they still de 
 ferred making any explanation of the strange dis 
 coveries made since his departure. It was agreed, 
 however, to reveal all on his return. Plans for the 
 future were discussed as they strolled out on the 
 terrace ; and before he left, young Warlow had won 
 a promise that their wedding-day would be an early 
 one some time in September, Mora said. 
 
 " I have had such a strange dream, twice on 
 successive nights, lately, Clifford. It seemed as 
 though I was Ivarene, and that I led a dual sort 
 of an existence, part of the time as myself, and at 
 other times I was that ill-fated Mexican bride, 
 longing to meet Bruce once more. Some way, 
 Clifford, I never can reconcile myself to the belief 
 that they are my parents, and the suspense of this 
 uncertainty is growing unbearable." 
 
 Clifford was very thoughtful for a long while 
 after this; but at length he begged her to await 
 
PREPARATIONS. 275 
 
 the return of Mr. Estill before they divulged the 
 secret. Then, after a lingering parting, he returned 
 home to begin, on the morrow, preparations for the 
 new life that was before him. 
 
 Before leaving Abilene he had engaged a skillful 
 stone-mason, who was to begin enlarging his dwell 
 ing at once with a large force of workmen at his 
 command; and I will only briefly tell how soon the 
 cottage grew into a many-gabled mansion of red 
 sandstone, with bay-windows and long wings, ter 
 races of stone, with balustrades of white magnesia, 
 and marble vases filled with blooming plants, that 
 trailed down their sides with blossoms of rose, 
 creamy white and scarlet. 
 
 A thousand head of cattle were bought, and 
 hurrying workmen were busy stacking vast ricks 
 of prairie-hay near the large barn that was rising 
 like magic under the trowels of a score of masons. 
 
 In these details I have anticipated somewhat, 
 but will return to the thread of my story. 
 
 The suspicions of the colonel and Mrs. Warlow 
 were at once aroused by seeing a force of workmen 
 beginning to enlarge Clifford's dwelling; and on 
 perceiving this, Clifford hastened to reveal all the 
 discoveries and transactions of the past few weeks. 
 The journal deeply afflicted his father, who at once 
 came to the same conclusion which the younger 
 members of the family had arrived at on reading 
 that document, that Bruce and his wife had been 
 murdered by Olin Estill, who had stolen their child 
 and had left it at the Estill ranch; that Mora was 
 that child, and that the family had raised her as 
 
276 "is MORA BRUCE'S DAUGHTER?" 
 
 their own daughter. When Clifford told of his 
 success in the land transaction and of wishing that 
 Maud should have the twenty thousand acres meant 
 for himself, his parents seemed both pleased and 
 proud of his course, although his father cautioned 
 him against using any more ,of the treasure until 
 Mr. Estill was made aware of the discovery. 
 
 " Did not the Estills tell you that Mora was the 
 daughter of Bruce and Ivarene when they made 
 their first visit here?" said Clifford, in surprise. 
 
 "Why, no, indeed!" replied his father; "they 
 told us of the part which they feared their nephew 
 took in the massacre. They believed he murdered 
 the originals of the pictures which he left at their 
 house soon after that tragedy, but he appeared to 
 be insane and they never saw him alive again. It 
 was months after when his skeleton was found on 
 the prairie, barely recognizable, which they buried 
 on a hill near the ranch." 
 
 " And that was all ?" said Clifford, in a tone of 
 anxiety. " But do you not think that Mora is 
 Bruce's daughter?" 
 
 "I have no doubt of it; for she is the perfect 
 counterpart of Ivarene in voice, face, and expression, 
 although her eyes are blue while those of Ivarene 
 were black. Still the same look is there that I 
 shall never forget. Why, when I meet her gaze, it 
 always seems that Ivarene is trying to speak to me 
 once more," said the colonel with deep emotion. 
 
 After this interview, Clifford lost no time in 
 hurrying down to the Estill ranch to seek an inter 
 view with Mora ; and after they had met, with all 
 
A STARTLING ANNOUNCEMENT. 277 
 
 the demonstrations peculiar to lovers, he noticed a 
 strange look of trouble on her face, and when he 
 tenderly asked its cause, she faltered a moment, 
 then bursting into tears, and hiding her face on his 
 breast, she confessed that the suspense of awaiting 
 her father's return had become at last unendurable, 
 and she had told her mother all the particulars of 
 their engagement, the discovery of the treasure, 
 their subsequent use of a portion of it, and their 
 well-founded belief that she was the daughter of 
 Bruce and Ivarene Wai raven. 
 
 "She confessed, then, that it was true?" said 
 Clifford, in a tone of suspense. 
 
 " No, stranger still !" said Mora, as she raised 
 a tear-stained face to his " no, Clifford, she seemed 
 struck dumb with astonishment, and reiterated the 
 assertion solemnly that I was her only daughter, 
 born five years after that tragedy. I am convinced 
 that it is true, Clifford ; nothing can convince me 
 that she is trying to deceive us, for she is too sin 
 cere to keep the truth from us now. Yes, I am an 
 Estill ; but she said that my strange resemblance 
 to the picture in the locket had always perplexed 
 her, and my father and they were very sensitive on 
 the subject. She saw you were startled by my lack 
 of resemblance to any one of the family, when you 
 made your first visit here ; but she is glad to know 
 that you are to be her son at last, Clifford." Had 
 a thunderbolt fallen at his feet, young Warlow 
 could not have been more startled than he was at 
 this announcement. Then, after a moment of 
 silence, he said : " Ah ! Mora darling, it does not 
 
278 MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS. 
 
 matter whose daughter you may be, so your heart 
 is mine ; but how strange it is that we should have 
 arrived at such a wrong conclusion !" Then, as 
 he began to reflect, he found that her mysterious 
 resemblance to Ivarene was their strongest proof 
 that she was not an Estill. 
 
 An interview with Mrs. Estill followed, in which 
 she gave a willing assent to the lovers' union ; then 
 she again asserted, with truth and sincerity stamped 
 upon her face and tone, that Mora was her only 
 daughter, born of her own flesh and blood, but that 
 there was a mystery connected with her birth 
 which she had never revealed to any one but her 
 husband. 
 
 "Mother! mother! what is it?" said Mora in 
 great agitation, while Clifford sprang up with a look 
 of intense interest depicted upon his face. 
 
 " It is a strange and unreal thing to relate in 
 this enlightened and skeptical age, and I should 
 never divulge it but for the events of the last few 
 days; but Mora's .unaccountable resemblance to the 
 face in the locket, which is that of Ivarene, is not 
 the only mystery that surrounds her birth. In the 
 autumn of 1849, September 16th I remember the 
 date perfectly one of our herders came in at night 
 very much terrified by a sight which he had just 
 witnessed. He had seen two mysterious lights flit 
 ting about the base of Antelope Butte, several miles 
 up the valley, where he had been looking after our 
 cattle that had become scattered while we Were at 
 Fort Riley driven to take refuge there from the 
 Cheyenne Indians that were raiding the frontier 
 
MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS. 279 
 
 settlements during August. Why I remember the 
 date so distinctly is from the fact that we had only 
 returned that day, finding our cabin in ashes. 
 
 " Fearing it might be some signal of lurking 
 savages, Mr. Estill and myself ran with the herder 
 to the bluff which overlooks the house on the north, 
 and saw a sight that was full of mystery ; and which, 
 in fact, was never explained. 
 
 " There were two large blue lights, of such an 
 unnatural color and appearance as to attract instant 
 attention, flitting about up the valley v They would 
 seem to skim along in long, undulating swells, like 
 the flight of swallows, often rising hundreds of feet 
 in the air, but always darting back to the base of 
 the butte. We were relieved to know it was not 
 Indians, and thinking it was one of those gaseous 
 or igneous phenomena peculiar to water-courses, 
 we did not investigate further, but only regarded 
 their appearance with curiosity. 
 
 " Their visits finally reached our premises, and I 
 was horrified to see them hovering about the house 
 later in the season ; but all our attempts to ap 
 proach them were frustrated, for they would recede 
 as we advanced ; then we really began to feel how 
 very unaccountable they were, and became per 
 plexed with the mystery. This state of affairs con 
 tinued until Christmas eve, 1852. As I was stand 
 ing at a window with Hugh in my arms, I saw the 
 two lights come flitting down the valley together. 
 When they reached a point close to the house they 
 halted, and, after hovering about together for a 
 while, the larger light darted off eastward, and was 
 
280 PHANTOMS OF THE PAST. 
 
 never seen again. The lesser one remained fllitting 
 about the house, or to and fro between here and 
 Antelope Butte, until, one night in May, 1854, the 
 light, after hovering near by, disappeared forever. 
 That very night Mora was born. Seeing a resem 
 blance in her childish face to that within the locket 
 a likeness that has increased with her age, until 
 now she is the very image of poor, dead Ivarene 
 we named her Morel ia (shortened to Mora by her 
 friends), a name that was engraved and set with 
 rubies upon the locket. We thought this the name, 
 of course, of the female face within the locket, but 
 from the Journal of Ivarene it is apparent that it 
 was the name of her dead mother instead. 
 
 " This precious locket had been flung at my feet 
 by Olin Estill, a renegade nephew of my husband, 
 whom he had discarded on account of his vicious 
 tendencies, and who had been leading a mysterious 
 existence, connected, I now fear, with a band of 
 outlaws that committed the massacre at the corral. 
 He had been absent from our house several 
 months, until the day after our return he suddenly 
 appeared at the tent-door, and, after glaring at me 
 a moment, had flung the locket at my feet, then, 
 with a blood-chilling shriek, had fled away. We 
 never saw him alive after that day ; but his skele 
 ton, torn asunder by wolves and barely recogniza 
 ble, was found months after, and buried upon a 
 hill-top near here." 
 
 " Did you never search Antelope Butte ?" Clif 
 ford asked, with grave thoughtfulness depicted in 
 his face. 
 
PHANTOMS OF THE PAST. 281 
 
 " No ; we never did, although we once talked 
 of doing so, but forgot it soon in the anxiety and 
 care of our life," she answered. 
 
 " I shall do so to-morrow," he said, " for I be 
 lieve the mystery of their fate is hidden there. 
 Yes, Bruce and Ivarene must have died some ter 
 rible death there at that bluff, and I shall never 
 rest until the cloud that wraps their fate is dis 
 pelled." 
 
 On his return home he related to his parents 
 the story which Mrs. Estill had told. When he 
 had finished, his mother was pale with a strange 
 excitement ; and his father exclaimed in a hoarse 
 voice of agitation : 
 
 " Clifford, you should make a careful search on 
 Antelope Butte in the morning. I fear that Bruce 
 and Ivarene perished there." 
 
 " My son, I never have told you that only a 
 few months before you were born just such a light 
 flashed into my room as the one that flitted about 
 the Estill ranch," said Mrs. Warlow, pale and 
 trembling with emotion. "It was on Christmas 
 Eve, 1852, that I was sitting in the firelit room 
 waiting your father's return, when I saw a pale 
 blue haze dart past the window, hover a moment, 
 then return ; and as I raised the sash I seemed to 
 be smothered by a flash of thick, luminous fog, and 
 fell prostrated as by a stroke of lightning. I did 
 not lose consciousness, however, but called one of 
 the negro women, who helped me to a lounge, and 
 lit the lamp. I was nervous about the occurrence ; 
 but your father explained the phenomenon as being 
 
282 STRANGE FANCIES. 
 
 only a collection of natural gas, generated in damp 
 localities. The light flitted about for a few months ; 
 but on the night of your birth, Clifford, it disap 
 peared, and was never seen again. How strange 
 that one of those lights should disappear from her 
 house that night, and appear at mine, hundreds of 
 miles away! Then the similar circumstances un 
 der which those mysterious halos vanished the 
 very night, it appears, of your birth and that 
 of Mora! She was born in May, 1854, so Mrs. 
 Estill says." 
 
 " We must search Antelope Butte in the morn 
 ing," said Clifford, trying to conceal his agitation 
 and to speak calmly ; " for I fear that the final 
 tragedy of Bruce and Ivarene was enacted there. 
 I dread the discovery that we may make, while, at 
 the same time, I long to unravel the dark mystery 
 which enwraps their fate." Then he hurriedly left 
 the room and sought slumber in the quiet of his own 
 bed-chamber ; but it was in vain, for strange fancies 
 kept him awake and thoughtful while the hours 
 slowly dragged by. 
 
 Since the night when he had seen that weird and 
 unearthly phantom war-dance around the long 
 grave, Clifford had begun to entertain some strange 
 fancies, which slowly grew upon him as he reviewed 
 the stories which Mrs. Estill and his mother had 
 told that evening, until finally he said, as the gray 
 of morning began to tinge the eastern sky with its 
 ashy pallor : 
 
 " I am almost convinced that Bruce's theory is 
 a true one. Father has long believed me to be the 
 
A GLIMPSE OF THE TRUTH. 283 
 
 reincarnation of the spirit of Bruce Walraven. 
 This, if true, will account for my strange resemblance 
 to a man who died, in all probability, long before I 
 was born, and will also account for the mysterious 
 memories which always haunt me, like the glimpses 
 of a former life. Can it be possible that the soul, 
 at will, can take on a new body again after death, 
 and profit by its past mistakes ? That would be a 
 resurrection, indeed ! Can it be that all the air 
 about us is peopled by the spiritual outlines of 
 dead and half-forgotten friends, only waiting their 
 time to be re-born, and we ourselves may be but 
 bodies that are inhabited by the souls of people 
 who have lived before ? If this theory is as cor 
 rect as it is comforting, then death has lost all its 
 terrors ; for what could inspire more delight in the 
 heart of an aged and care-worn person than the 
 knowledge that, after he had cast off his faded and 
 wrinkled body, by that process which we call death, 
 he could walk again in all the freshness of youth 
 and beauty on earth, which, say what we may, is 
 dearer than any other place can ever be. 
 
 " This theory I shall put to the test to-day/' 
 our hero said ; " for if the remains of Bruce and 
 Ivarene are found near Antelope Butte as I am 
 convinced that they will be then my conjectures 
 are confirmed and the mystery of eternity, which has 
 mocked and puzzled man from his creation, is re 
 vealed. It will prove that those mysterious lights 
 were their spirits still hovering about their grave, 
 waiting their opportunity to be re-born. This 
 looks no more improbable than many of the myste- 
 
284 A COMFORTING AND SEDUCTIVE THEORY. 
 
 ries of science did a few years ago. But, then, life 
 itself would still remain a grand mystery, as would 
 sight, sound, and hearing." 
 
 By this time he had arisen, and, after dressing, 
 he seated himself before the tall mirror. 
 
 " This strange belief has been growing upon 
 me since I heard Mrs. EstilPs and mother's revela 
 tions until it has become almost conviction, and if 
 we find that on Antelope Butte, which I feel we 
 will then it will convince me that Mora is God 
 how strange that sounds ! Ivarene born again to 
 enjoy the happiness which her untimely fate pre 
 vented her securing in her brief life." 
 
 As he scanned his own reflection in the mirror, 
 by the sunlight, which now was flooding the east 
 ern hills in its golden mantle, while a look of 
 growing wonder and strange curiosity came over his 
 face, he exclaimed, with a start : " Then Bruce 
 Walraven is myself!" 
 
 After a moment of serious reflection, he con 
 tinued : " Well, there is nothing so very improb 
 able or uncanny in the thought, at last ; for it is just 
 as probable that God may have given me a soul 
 that had lived before, as one that had not. No ; 
 human nature has too much wisdom to ever have 
 gained it by one life." 
 
 If our hero's theory was true, then Bruce could 
 not have asked a better fate than to live his life 
 again as the handsome youth reflected there, with 
 his crisp golden hair, eyes of pansy blue, and the 
 flush of young manhood on his glossy cheeks. 
 
ANTELOPE BUTTE. 285 
 
 Chapter XXI. 
 
 AN hour later found the Warlow family at the 
 foot of Antelope Butte, whither they had all 
 driven to make a search for what they shrank 
 from saying. They had been there only a short 
 time when they saw the Estill carriage coming. 
 When it drew near they discovered that it was Mrs. 
 Estill and Mora, who, when they were assisted to 
 alight, said they had seen the Warlow carriage with 
 their field-glass, and suspecting the meaning of its 
 visit to the butte, they had hurried up to join the 
 search with their friends. 
 
 As Clifford, Rob, and Ralph were carefully 
 searching the face of the declivity, Mrs. Warlow 
 told Mrs. Estill of the remarkable fact that she had 
 also seen that mystic light on the night it had dis 
 appeared from Estill Ranch ; then, as Mora drew 
 near, she gave a circumstantial account of the event, 
 which caused her hearers to exchange looks of per 
 plexed amazement. 
 
 Mora became thoughtfully silent, and, leaving 
 the others, she wandered restlessly back and forth 
 at the foot of the bluff, watching the searchers 
 intently. 
 
 She was startled at length by a cry of astonish 
 ment from Clifford, and with the others she hast 
 ened up the steep acclivity to where he stood in a 
 recess of the cliff. When she reached his side he 
 
286 THE CARVED INSCRIPTION. 
 
 was leaning heavily against the rocky wall, white 
 and trembling. 
 
 " Oh, .Clifford ! speak! what is it?" she cried, 
 breathless with a strange dread. 
 
 He could only point to the face of the rock with 
 an unsteady finger, while the sweat-drops rained 
 down from his white face, wrung by an agony of 
 emotion which he vainly strove to repress. 
 
 Sinking down upon the sloping mound, matted 
 with grass, and kneeling there at the foot of the 
 cliff she read with a startled gaze the inscription 
 which was carved in faint, moss-grown letters, upon 
 the magnesian stone : 
 
 "My Ivarene, my lost love, lies dead beside me 
 with our little child, cold and still, on her breast. 
 I am wounded and dying; but death is sweet now. 
 We were coming here to watch for the trains when 
 we were assaulted by the strange hunter, who shot 
 us both. My love only breathed' one breath. I 
 carried her here. The child was pierced by the 
 same shot. My eyes are growing dim ; but I wel 
 come death. Oh, farewell, bright world ! I feel my 
 life ebbing fast away, but would not stay without 
 my darling. I go to meet her where there will be 
 no more parting. Oh, the joy and bliss to see her 
 smile again! It makes me long for death. "VVe 
 shall live again ! Bru " 
 
 With a wild cry of agonized grief, Mora covered 
 her face, while the others read, with streaming eyes, 
 that last message from the tomb. Then, as they 
 drew back and waited with broken sobs and smoth 
 ered weeping, Ralph and Robbie began tenderly to 
 
THE SKELETONS. 287 
 
 remove the debris and soil which time had formed 
 into a mound below the inscription. 
 
 When, at last, there was revealed two skeletons, 
 locked together in the last clasp of love, which even 
 death could not sever, Maud cried aloud with a wail 
 of anguish : 
 
 " Oh, can this be the last of beautiful Ivarene 
 and dear, brave Bruce?" 
 
 Choking back their sobs, they all knelt in a 
 circle, while Mrs. \Yarlow's voice rose in a passion 
 ate, fervid prayer; then tenderly, with loving care, 
 they carried the remains down to the Warlow car 
 riage, leaving Mora and Clifford still lingering by 
 the vacant mound. 
 
 They stood in silence a moment, the only sound 
 the soft rustle of wild-ivy that half draped the cliff 
 in its mottled foliage of crimson, green, and bronze ; 
 the radiant sunlight from the cloudless sky lit up 
 the sunflowers and gentian that grew in stunted 
 clusters on the hillside, while the sumac flaunted its 
 plumes of scarlet, gold, and purple along the rifts 
 of the white, rocky wall. 
 
 Lifting their gaze from the open grave, their 
 eyes met in a swift flash of joy, while a half-puzzled 
 look of delight and recognition struggled over their 
 faces; then, bounding lightly over the open grave, 
 Clifford whispered in a tone of unspeakable love 
 and yearning: 
 
 "Oh, Ivarene, my sweetheart of long ago, we 
 meet at last I" 
 
 "Then it is as I have dreamed and you are 
 
288 WEDDING MORN AT STONE CORRAL. 
 
 Bruce I" she answered, with a sob of joy, while 
 springing into his outstretched arms. 
 
 "Yes, love, I am convinced that we meet again 
 after all these years of waiting. Though to the 
 world we may be only Mora and Clifford, yet, dar 
 ling, to each other we will ever be Ivarene and 
 Bruce," he replied, while raining kisses upon her 
 upturned, radiant face. 
 
 Ah ! how can I tell of the serene wedding morn 
 that marked that happy day when Clifford and Mora 
 paced back and forth on the sun lighted terrace at 
 the Stone Corral, now no longer a modest cottage, 
 but a stately though quaint mansion of red sand 
 stone. The tender, blue haze of Indian summer 
 brooded over the valley, where the fields of wheat 
 shone dewy and green, and the newly-mown meadows 
 stretched away like a verdant carpet far out onto 
 the highlands, miles upon miles all their own. 
 The marble fountain threw a glittering sheen of 
 silver high in the air, while the breeze swept the 
 blossom-laden tendrils that trailed down the snowy 
 vases, and swayed the limbs of the old elm to and 
 fro about the gables of the elegant home. 
 
 " Oh, Ivarene, dear love ! how strange it is to 
 take up the thread of our happiness on the spot, 
 almost where our lives went out in such black despair 
 just twenty-six years ago ! I know why you wish 
 to have our bridal here, darling ; for it was here, 
 at the Old Corral, that our former trials over 
 whelmed us, and it is doubly sweet to begin happi 
 ness again on this spot." 
 
 "Bruce, my darling, I can remember nothing of 
 
WEDDING MORN AT STONE CORRAL. 289 
 
 the old life and its trials, that ended at our grave 
 on Antelope Butte ; but my love for you ah ! that 
 can never perish. It has survived even the horrors 
 of that lonesome tomb. It is strange we only rec 
 ognized each other at that empty grave; but I had 
 always felt such a longing to meet some one, that 
 now I know it was the spirit within me crying 
 dumbly for you ; and oh ! the unutterable content 
 when at length I met you, and the joy of only being 
 with you now, it is more than Eden !" 
 
 "Sweet Ivarene, do you ever ponder on what 
 eternity means for us, now we have its secret? a 
 limitless succession of life in all its phases; that the 
 grave is only the door to life again, when we can 
 choose another birth passing through all the 
 freshening scenes of infancy and youth ; growing 
 up again as boy and girl ; seeking each other out 
 for another union like this, where we shall always 
 recognize each other, but forget the old life, it is 
 this which gives hope and zest to this happy day ; 
 for we know that we shall really never be sep 
 arated." 
 
 " We will pass a happy life together, my love ; 
 and from out our abundance we can sweeten the 
 lives of many others who have not been blessed 
 with great riches," he continued, in a tender 
 tone. 
 
 " Yes, dear Bruce, and the treasure of Monte- 
 lurna should be dedicated to charity alone, for we 
 have enough without it," she replied ; then, point 
 ing to a newly-sodded grave at the foot of the 
 
 25 
 
290 " WE LIVE AGAIN !" 
 
 lawn a mound that was marked by a marble slab 
 on which only was engraved, 
 
 "BRUCE AND IVARENE," 
 
 she continued, with a smile of ineffable peace on her 
 beaming face : " That is for the eyes of the world, 
 dear Bruce ; but we know that we are they, only mas 
 querading under the names of Mora and Clifford." 
 At that moment Maud, Ralph, Hugh, and Grace 
 came on to the terrace above, and Hugh, in a voice 
 husky with emotion, said : 
 
 " Come, Mora and Clifford, the minister waits." 
 Tarrying a moment, while the others moved on 
 along the terrace, the happy pair stood gazing out 
 over the tranquil valley, then, drawing aside her 
 veil, which trailed liked a mist down over her robe 
 of glistening satin, white as a snow-drift, she raised 
 a radiant face to his, and said : 
 
 " My Bruce, we live again we live again !" 
 Stooping, while their lips met, he murmured: 
 " Yes, Ivarene, dear bride, and this oh ! this is 
 heaven !" 
 
 A moment more, and they had disappeared within 
 the flower-wreathed doorway. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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