True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-12-12
.. RAGAN, Editor and Proprietor.

skill they lost by carelessness. If man
will persist in firing matches when his brain
is muddied with aguardicnte, he must ex-
pect to suffer for it. However, shall not
be pegador always. In good time, if it
please San Francisco, shall be captain of
anime. And who knows but one of these
days | may be an administrador-an over
seer, and rich man, as well as others 7"
"To be sure" replied Marsarita, eager
ly. "Why not as well as Miguel Gomez
Don Miguel. forsooth, as he may be called
now And yet remember him when he
was only poor buscon, common mine
hunter, and always in debt TO my father for
aguardiente and tobacco. Yet because he
happened to light on good vein, and sold
it to the English company for ten thousand
dollars, and was made overseer, he thinks
himself now great gentleman, and that
every body must give way to him"
.'Poor Don Miguel !" said the miner,
laughing. "You are too hard unon our
administrator, Murgarita. First you re-
fuse his hand and heart, not to speak of his
dollars; and then you abuse him behind his
back"
"Ah!" said Margarta, hastily, elf you
knew-," and then she stopped suddenly,
as if she had said more than she intended
"What is there that you know, my little
wife. that l do not :" asked Manuel, look
ing up in surprise. ....
cit was something that happened before
our marriage" said Margari;a. seriously.
81 promised then to conceal it; but l have
often been troubled since with the thought
of my promise. If | sin in breaking it
now, will beg Padre Isidro to absolve me,
for know there should be no. secrets be-
tween us two. 1t was Anita, the wife of
Juan Pedraza, the poor drunken cargador,
who told me what she heard from her hus-
band. When you and Miguel Gomez were
quarrelling for love of me-" continued the
young woman, with naive gravity, "Juan
said that Miguel promised him the place
of captain of the gulera, with twenty dol
lars a week, if he would commit dreadful
crime. 1t was to follow you when coming
down the mountain, and push you off the
precipice at the Rlnconada, so that you
might seem to have fallen by accident.
Juan would not be guilty of such a horrible
act for the world, but he was SO afraid Of
the overseer that he dared not speak of it
to any one but his wife. did not know it
till after we were married, and then would
not tell you because it could do no good ;
for Gomez knows now that if were free
tomorrow | would rather jump of the Rim
conada myself than take HIM with all his
money!"
"The villain!" said Manuel, while his
eyes sparkled and his hand clutched instnc-
lively at his knife. "It was we'll for him.
Margarita, that you did not tell me this q
year ago. But perhaps he has repented oi
it since he has been very good-natured to
me Of late. However, think his time is
up. The English director, Don Jayne,
came this morning from Mexico, and seems
very much dissatisfied with the working ol
the mine. 1t is whispered among the men
that the overseer is certain to lose his
place."
"Ah, that is good news indeed! !" said
Margarita, clasping her hands.
"And SO this was the reason" added
Manuel, gaily. "why you preferred poor
barretero, with only his Miners pick and
his dollara day, to the rich administrator
"Of what good is money" returned Mar.
garita, earnestly, "without happiness y
Riches fly away, but the good heart re.
MAINS" ,.. .. ...a .... .
"That is as true as though Padre Isidrc
had said it," rejoined Manuel, as he rose
hastily from his seat on the turf; "but
time flies too, my dear little preacher, ant
they will be waiting for me at the mine.
The young couple separated with many
affectionate injunctions on the part Of the
wife, to which the miner laughingly prom.
ised a punctual attention. Margarita, as
she replaced the basket on her head, heard
the clear, manly voice Of her husband, faI
above her, singing the refrain of ballad
once very popular among the miners Of Ia
catecas, which described the good fortune
of poor adventurer in that town in former
days:
81 las minas de San Bernabe
No dieron-tan buena ley,
iH, No casaria Juan Barra
Bon la hija DEL virey.
Which may be rendered:
| II Saint Baynabas mine
| a Had not yielded ore 20 fine,
Juan Barra ne'er had welded
A maiden Of the viceroy's line.
| Monuels song ceased when he reached
the Rinconada, sharp angle in the path
beside which the precipice sank plum
down, sheer descent Of more than fv,