The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-01-11

know
his own ewes. Aunt Polly had shrewdly /
n,ssed it to be a new fashion of "puttinp nm
fhe hair but they both had as correct an idea
of it as blind man has of coors With
deep regret owned that there was no wat
er fall in the trunk; but, seeing their dsan-
pointmen!, succeeded, with the aid of a pair
OF stockings and pin cushion, in putting up
my mar INTO quite little Niagara, to the
g'ea1 aeilght OF these fashion-worshipin peo-
pie.
How charming and refreshing the grove of
trees looks, when you draw up under their
shadow at ella Bend, after days of toilsome
travel over wearisome, arid sand-plains, or
through All almost interminable wilderness OF
grease-wood and cactus. The whisper of the
wind in the trees, the bark of the dog that
ran out to meet us, and the cackle of the
busy hens around the doorway, told us that
we should find good and happy people here.
There was the solitary house as usual, but it
| seemed more pretentious than those at the
| other stations. The passage-way was higher
and wider, the rooms more numerous, and
| finished with whitewash and good glass WIN
| dows. At the windows, curtains; gay1c;oIns-
| ored counterpart on the bed, and woif7'Niii'
| in front of it md the lounge.
Thd station-keeper was tall DlaoN CsoaS..
| ed, good-looking man, by NAM nh,,i1 1 elS
| Washington -. l knew t 1G1 G Snou,. A Nv
-
"'' t fnr sta nos married on the same day
| ,;t1 how Ami Polly. The blue eyes, nnder
lone s;lLen lashes that met my gaze on the
rhreessbod at ella Bend, wee like Siss-only
these were tn eyes of a woman; there were
the. same graceful movements, with more of
| selfassertion. She might have been eighteen.
Her hands and feet were small, and her rich
brown hair, oddly though not unbecomingly
dressed, lay on f. rehead white and pure as
that of child
No wonder George was proud of his wife,
and had tried hard to win as such the bare
looted girl whom he found one day, with her
family and some sorry OK teams, camped
lear the house, on their way from Texas to
Cali ornia. The emgrants were the girls
mother, her step father, her sister, brother.
iunt, and he aunt's little girl. Aunt Polly
| seemed TO be the leauing man, for to her be-
| longed the two best ox-teams, one OF which
| was driven by herself, the other by the girl,
! Dorinda. She hired or bought her niece
| rom the step-father for this purpose, after
| she lost her husband by lightning and Dora
| had been faithful TO her task, although nearly
worn out crossing the Desert from Maricopa
| Wells to ella Bend. After George had taken
a dee look into the girls eyes, he, very dis
| interestedly, not OF ly invited the whole fami-
| Iy 20 come into his honse-as far as they
| would go into est from the long, hard
| Journey, but the Inequalities extended to the
| best the place afforded, for both man and
| beast
The Texans, content, were in no hurry TO
move on, and George was appare 'tly in no
| hurry to have them go. Dora, Sis, and the
| ten-year-old brother soon became warmly at
| tached to him; and they, with the big dog,
| Bose, daily wandered off to the ella to catch
| fish, wadng into the stream, with ever-fresh
zest, as they recalled that dreadful drag across
n vrata rIo Coo aolov> md
on the bank. fishing-line in land.
One day, when Dora had watched the cool,
| clear water gliding swiftly over her sun-brown-
ed feet, in silence, she raised her eyes sudden
| " from under the long, shading lashes.
"Why do you never come into the water !?
Don't yon like to stand IN it? She asked of
| George.
''Come, sit here, and will tell you" She
nestled down beside him, and. calling Bose,
| who laid his head on his masters knee, and
! looked inquiringly from one to the other, he
| said: about three years ago, before 1 had
built this house, lived in little shanty,
about mile from the river. The summer
was very hot; had suffered much from the
sun and the want of water in crossing the
| country, and, after the man who came out
here with me had gone on to Fort Yuma, /
was left entirely alone. When 1 see you over
| your ankles in the water now am often
tempted to call you back; only know that
| you are young and strong, and remember
but too well what pleasure there is in it. Be
| sides, you do not remain in it, as l did tor
| long, weary hours every day, standing in the
shade Of willow, catching fish for nv din
ner. There were little else here to eat then !;
and never left off fishing, till I was taken
with the rheumatism, from which l had stuff
cred years before. was all alone, and could
not move, and would have died of thirst,
alone in my shanty, if it had not been for this
| good dog. A dozen times day Bose would
trot down to the river, dip up small tin-pail
| full of water, and bring it to me. Otherwise
| the faithful old fellow never left my side, day
| or night; and though he would, no doubt,
nurse me through another spell of rheuma
| tism, it would be dreadful to be sick and alone
here, after you and your people are gone.
Dora was tenderly stroking the dogs rough
coat at would re dreadful" she repeated,
absently, tear rolling from Der cheek. Her
words, and the look in her eyes, thrilled
George to his inmost soul.
''Dora" he said, arresting the hand trav-
cling over Bosses head-"Dora, 1 am old
enough to be your father
"Yes," she.replied, looking up artlessly-
but there was something in dis face that made
her eyes drop, and the warm blood flush her
cheeks.
When he spoke again it was of something
quite different, and after awhile, the CONVEX
sation turned to her family. Her step father
did r OF always treat her well; he struck her
cruelty once-and her mother dared not in
terfere, knowing his temper but too well.
George could hardly keep from putting his
arms about her, to shield her from the mans
rough ways; and in his heart he vowed that
it should be different, if Dora did but will it
so. The step-father and aunt had spoken of
pulling up stakes soon-but Dora was averse
to going.
In the evening George proposed to the step
father that he remain at the station, and
"farm it, near the river, while the mother
kept house for them all, and served meals to
the travelling public of Arizona. From
chronic perverseness he refused, saying that
he wanted go to California; and George de-
termined to hasten matters in another direc-
ton. He lowered, as much as possible,
about Dora, who, since the day by the river
size, had taken Bose into her confidence and
affection. Wherever she went the dog went
too, and his master argned well for himself
from this, though Dora was shy and more
distant than when she first came to ella
Bend.
One day, the Texans commenced gathering
up their straps and making ready to go,
Dora's eyes were red, and George-to cheer
her, perhaps-prop 'sed to walk to the river
bank When they came back, she seemed
even more shy, though she stole up to him in
the twilight, where he stood by the mesquite
tree, and hastily put her hands into his. He
drew her to him quickly, and pres ed her
head to his breast, and murmured, Thanks,
my little girl as he touched her hair with
his lips. An hour late, there was clamor
and confusion at ella Pend. George cause /
it all, for to him the aunt vehemently de-
clared that she would have the girl to drive
her OK team into Calfornia-she had hired
her and paid for her; and the s.ep-father
shouted that he had control of the child, and
go she should, whether or no.
Poor George passed aseepless night. The
picture of Dora-barefooted, weary, toiling
hopelessly through the sand on the desert
was al ways before him, and he swore to him
self that she should not go; that he would
shelter ner from the cruel, burning sun, and
The sharp words and sharper blows of her
step father. Exacting promise from the
emigrants to remain until he returned he
started out alone on his truSty horse, Bose
running close by his side. After he left the
shelter of the trees, he halt>d and looked
back keenly about in every direction. A
sharp bark from Bose detected Dora crossing
the stretch of land between the road and the
river, and when she reached the lone horse
man light bound brought her foot into the
stirrup, and her flushed face on level with