The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-09-15
ROMANCE OF MADRONO HOLLOW
BY BRET HARTE.


The latch on the garden gate Of the
Folinsbee Ranch clicked twice. The
gate itself was so much in shadow that
lovely night, that " old man Folinsbee,'
sitting on his porch, could distinguish
nothing but a tall white hat, and beside
it a few fiuttering ribbons, under the
pines that marked the entrance
Whether because of this fact, or that he
considered sufficient time had elapsed
since the clicking Of the latch for more
positive disclosure, | Go not know but
after few moments hesitation, he
quietly laid aside his pipe, and walked
slowly down the winding path toward
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
fine night, and remarking generally
upon the clear outline of the Sierras
against the blue-black sky. The rib
bons, it so appeared, had admired this
all the way home, and asked the hat if
it had ever seen anything half so lovely
as the moonlight on the summit. The
hat never had. 1t recalled some lovely
nights in the South, in Alabama e. in
the South, in Ahlabahm,' was the way
the old man heard it,, but then there
were other things that made this Eight
seem so pleasant The ribbons could
not possibly conceive what the hat could
be thinking about. At this point there
was pause, of which Mr. Folinsbee
availed himself to walk very grimly and
craunchingly down the gravel ak to.
ward the gate. Then the hat was lifted
and disappeared in the shadow, and Mr..
Folinsbee confronted only the half
foolish, half mischievous, but wholly
pretty face of his daughter.
1t was afterward known to Madrono
Hollow that sharp words passed between
Miss Jo' and the old man, and that
the latter coupled the names of one
Culpepper Starbottle and his uncle,
Colonel Starbottle, with certain uncom-
plimentary epithets, and that Miss 10
retaliated sharply. Her fathers blood
before her fathers face boiled up and
proved her truly of his race" quoted
the blacksmith. who leaned toward the
noble verse of Byron. "Sle saw the
old mans bluff and raised him." was
the direct comment of the college bred
masters.
Meanwhile the subject of these ami
madversions proceeded slowly along the
road to a point where the Folinsbee
mansion came in view-a long, narrow,
white building, unpretentious, yet supe.
rior to its neighbors, and bearing some
evidences of taste and refinement in
the vines that clambered over its porch
in its French windows, and the white
muslin curtains that kept out the fierce
California sun by day. and were now
touched with silver in the gracious
moonlight. Culpepper leaned against
the low fence, and gazed long and ear
nestly at the building. Then the moon.
light vanished ghost-like from one of
the windows, material glow took its
place, and girlish figure. holding a
candle, drew the white curtains to-
gether. To Culpepper it was vestal
virgin standing before halowed shrine;
to the prosaic observer, | fear it was
only a fair haired young woman, whose
wicked black eyes still shone with un.
tilal warmth. Howbeit, when the figure
had disappeared he stepped out briskly
into the moonlight of the high road.
Here he took off his distinguishing hat
to wipe his forehead, and the moon
shone full upon his face.
1t was not an unprepossessing one,
albeit trifle too thin and lank and
bilious to be altogether pleasant. The
cheek bones were prominent, and the
black eyes sunken in their orbits
Straight black hair fell slantwise off a
high but narrow forehead, and swept
part of a hollow cheek. \ long black
mustache followed the perpendicular
curves of his mouth. 1t was on the
whole serious, even Quixotic face, but
at times it was relieved by rare smile
of such tender and even pathetic sweet
ness, that Miss 10 is reported to have
said that. if it would only last through
the ceremony, she would have married
its possessor on the spot. / once told
him So added that shameless young
woman; "but the man instantly fell
into settled melancholy, and hasn't
smiled SINCE"
A halfmile below the Folinsbee