The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-09-22
THE ROMANCE OF MADRONO IIOL-
LOW.
BY BRET HARTE.

BY BRET HARTE.
The latch ON the gate OF the Folins-
bee Ranch clicked twice. The gate 1t-
self was SO much in shadow that
lovely night, that "old man Folins-
bee,' sitting on bis porch, could dis
tinguish nothing but a tall white hat,
and besides 1t few f1uttering ribbons,
under the pines that marked the en-
trance. Whether because Of this fact
or that he considered that sufficient
time had elapsed since the clicking
of the latch for more positive disclo-
sure, 1 do not know; but after few
moments hesitation he quietly laid
aside his pipe and walked slowly
down the winding path towards the
gate. At the Ceanothus hedge he
stopped and listened.
There was not much to hear. The
hat was saying to the ribbons that it
was a fine night, and remarking gen.
orally upon the clean outline OF the
Sierras against the blue-black sky.
The ribbons, it SO appeared, had ad-
mired this all the way home, and
asked the haiti 1t had ever seen any
thing half 80 lovely as the moonlight
Oh the summit? The hat never had;
it recalled some lovely nights In the
South In Alabama, Gin the South In
Alabahm" was the. way the old man
heard it, but then there were other
things that made this night seem SO
pleasant. The ribbons could not pos
sibly conceive what the hat could be
thinking about. At this point there
was a pause, of which Mr.. Eollinsbee
availed himself to walk very grimly
and craunchingly down the gravel
walk bo the gate. Then the hat was
lifted, and disappeared in the shadow,
and Mr.. Folinsbee confronted only
the half-foolish, halt-mischievous, but
wholly pretty face of his daughter.
1t was afterward known to Madro-
no Hollow that sharp word passed
between "Miss Jon and the old man,
and that the latter coupled the names
of one Culpeper Starbottle and his
uncle Colonel Starbottle, with certain
uncomplimentary epithets, and that
Miss 10 retaliated sharply. "Her
fathers blood before her fathers face
boiled I'D and proved her truly Of his
race" quoted the blacksmith, who
leaned toward the noble verse Of
Byron. "She saw the old mans bluff
and raised him." was the director
comment of the college-bred Masters.
Meanwhile the subject of these ami
madversions proceeded slowly along
the road to point where the Folins-
bee mansion came in vtew-a long
narrow, white building unpretentions,
vet superior to its neighbors, and
bearing some evidences of taste and
refinement In the vines that Chamber
ed over its porch, in its French win
dows, and the white muslins curtains
that kept out the fierce California sun
by day, and were now touched with
silver In the gracious moonlight.
Culpepper leared against the low
fence, and gazed long and earnestly
at the building. Then the moonlight
vanished ghost-like from one OF the
windows, material glow took Its place,
and girlish figure, holding a candle,
drew the white curtains together. 10
Culpepper 1t was vestal virgin
standing before hallowed shrinei to
the prosaic observer, fear 1t was only
a fair-haired young woman whose
wicked black eyes still shone' With
unfilial warmth. Howbeit, when the
figure had disappeared he stepped out
briskly into the moonlight of the
high road. Here he took Off his dis
tinguishing hat to wipe his forehead,
and the moon shone full upon his
face. ......-.... r
IT was not an unprepossing one, al
beit a trifie too thin and lank and bill
ious to be altogether pleasant. The
cheekbones were prominent, and the
black eyes sunken in their orbits.
Straight black hair fell slantwise off a
high but narrow forehead, and swept
mart of hollow check. A long black
mustache followed the perpendicular
curves of his mouth. 1t was On the
whole a serious, even Quixotic face,
but at times, it was relieved by rare
smile of such tender and even pathet-
10 sweetness that Miss 10 is reported
to have said that, If 1t would only last
through the ceremony, she would
have married its possessor on the spot.
al once told him So" added that
shameless young woman; 'but tie
man instantly fell into settled mel
ancholy, and hasn't smiled since"
A half mile below the tolinsbee
Ranch the white road dipped, and
was crossed by trail that,ran through
Madrono Hollow. Perhaps because it
was a near cut of to the settlement,
perhaps from some less practical rea-
sons, Culpepper took this trail, and
I'm a few moments stood among beau
tiful trees that gave their name to the
valley, Even in that uncertain light
the weird beauty of these harlequin
masqueraders was apparent; their red
trunks-a blush in the moonlight, a
deep bold stain in the shadow-stood
out against the silvery green foliage.
1t was as If nature, n some gracious
moment, had here caught and crys.
tallized tho gypsy memories OF the
transplanted Spar ard, to cheer him
in his lonely exile. i
AS Culpepper entered the grove he
heard loud voices. As he turned to-
ward q clump of trees, a figure so
bizarre and characteristic that it
might have been resident Daphne
q figure overdressed In crimson silk
and lace, with bare brown arms and
shoulders, and o wreath of honey
suckle-stepped out of the shadow. 1t
was followed by q man. Culppeper
started. To come to the point briefly,
he recognized in the man the features
Of his respected uncle, Colonel Star
bottle; In the female, a lady who may
be briefly described as one possessing
absolutely no claim TO an introduction
to the polite reader. To hurry over
equally unpleasant details, both were
evidently under the Influence of
liquor. q
From the excited conversation that
ensued Culpepper gathered that some
insult had been put upon the lady at
public ball which she had attended
that evening; that the Colonel, her
escort, had failed to resent it with the
sanguirary completeness that she de-
sired. Ireg-et that, even In a liberal
age, / may not record the exact and
even picturesque language in which
this was conveyed to the hearers.
Enough, that st the close of a fiery
peroration, with feminine inconsis-
tency, she flew at the gallant Colonel,
ami would have visited her delayed
vengeance upon his luckless head but
for the prompt interference OF Culpep-
1 I'll t.. L "