The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-02-13

fund be gotten up out of this property 1
for Miss Miles. Some of it, of course,
belongs to her; the rest ought to be |
given TO her 10 provide means of re-
turning to her friends, if she has any,"
"You might speak to the Quarter
Master about it," agreed the Colonel.
Thus was Judith and her affairs being
discussed in the Coloneps quarters. |
Let us see how ii was at Mrs. Stewards. |
On cot, covered with heavy, limp,
linen sheet, and freshly dressed in some
of Mrs. Stewards own delicate garments,
the unconscious girl was lying. The
room was made rs dim and cool as the |
best medical invention could make il, in |
the Gila valley. BY the side of the cot
sat the Doctor, observant and reflective. |
At his elbow stood "the dearest little |
woman in the world" holding a glitter
ing pair of scissors in one hand, while |
she smoothed tile Doctors cirolet of
thin, auburn hair with the other. But
it was not against her husbands scant
locks that she entertained scissile inten-
tions. She was regarding the splendid
suite Of glossy black on that unconscious
head and thinking "what a pityw In
almost the same breath she thought
"what beautiful switch il will make
for me;r for Mrs. Stewards eyes were
dark-brown, and her hair almost us
dark as Judith's.
ado you think it must all come of,
Doctors"
But the inquiry was not needed.
81 fail to make out what sort of per-
son she is, Nellie" he said, instead of re-
ply. "She has some education, should
judge, by her having Aurora Leigh in
her pocket; yet her dress and the fact of
her belonging to a company Of that class
of emigrants is against it. Most of
them are as ignorant as cattle. 1t is
strange. She is the most beautiful
woman 1 ever saw; aud I've seen many,
in my profession"
"Yes, she is very pretty, Doc" re-
turned his wife, feeling erquenched,
however, by this enthusiastic admira-
tion of another woman, and more con-
firmed in her opinion about the switch.
"Yes, she is very pretty; but she is not
exactly refined. You can tell it by the
expression of her face. 1t lacks some
thing, you know, that we call high
breeding, which only cultivated people
have"
"Perhaps it does, Nellie; but some
thing can well be spared from such per-
fection as hers. Anything more would
be too much. 1t makes me wonder,
when such harmony of proportion is
possible, that it does not oftener occur"
"Why, Doc, how you do go on" said
the little lady, reproviugly. "You will
make me jealous, and | don't want to
be, because, you see, poor thing, she
will need much kindness, if she recov-
ers. l suppose no one knows what
friends she has last in one of these mas
sacres ?i
"Her Pap and Katie was the subject
of her talk; and 'Boone'-she 'sked if
Boone had Gomez Yes, Nellie, you
are right. Refined women do not call
their sires Pap"
so, don't know; some families have
odd habits about names," replied Mrs.
Stewart, willing, now her point was cou-
ceded, to appear lenient in her judg-
ment.
"An ordinary woman of her age"
said the Doctor, studying the case with
scientific care, "would not be thrown
into her condition by any of the cir
cumstances visible or probable in this
case. I've treated cases of arrangement
r resulting from being lost, or being fam
} ished for food and water; but they did
, not exhibit symptoms like these. She
has not been suffering from want. It's
5 impossible she should have been two
) days without supplies, as would have
. been the case had she belonged to the
4 northward-bound train. She escaped
. these red devils in some way, yesterday
, and when the fever seized her the in
stinct of her horse brought her back to
S wards the road and finally to our camp
( II is the shock-the great shock to
4 very high-strung, nervous tempera
o ment that has produced the'fever, an,
: which will give me trouble enough, Tn
t afraid. But you were always an excel
$ lent nurse, Nellie; that's one good thing
Now, let's have the scissors"
h Lightly and cautiously DIR. Stewar
I severed those rich masses of hair whiel
: Judith had once told Boone, jestingly
r she was vain of, and did not want t.
}. part with to the Apaches. 1t might hav
e consoled her, had she realized her loss
/ to have seen the delight, not unmixe
with pity toward herself, with which tn
d Doctors wife received the elegant sacri
IT fee. Poor Judith 1t had always beel
y her fate to be portioned out, heart, bod
II and brain, at the will or instance {
y others. This, after all, was the lightes
% of her losses, though sadly symbolics
It of them all.
ID "Take care of itr' the Doctor said, 8
'! the last long tress was added to th
a shining heap on the napkin spread OF
/, to receive it. "Whcn she RECEIVERS,
5, ever she does, she may like TO look 1
it," and Mrs. Stewart promising, gail
1t cred it carefully up and hid it ava.
E. against the time, not any too surel
lg anticipated, when Judith should wish
I'd see it.
G. Then the poor unconscious head WI