The Portland daily press., 1874-09-26
Written expressly for the New York Times.l
The Fool of Five Forks.
RY BRET HARTE.
(Concluded.)


teachers of San Francisco pablo schools, out
for holiday. Not severely specialized MI
nervas and chastely armed and mailed Pal
lases, but, fear for the security of Five
Forks, very human, charming, and mis-
chievous young women. At least, 50 the
men thought, working in the bitches and tun-
Melting on the hillside; and when, in the in
terests of science and the mental advance
ment of juvenile posterity, it was finally SET
tied that they should stay in Five Forks two
or three days for the sake Of visiting the va
rious mines, and particularly the "Blazing
Star" tunnel, there was some futter OF mas
culine anxiety. There was a considerable
inquiry for ''store Clothes" hopeless over
hauling of old and dIsused raiment, and
general demand for ''boiled shirts'' and the
barber.
Meanwhile, with that supreme audaclty
and impudent hardihood of the sex when
gregarious, the schoolmarms rode through
the town, admiring openly the handsome
faces and manly figures that looked up from
the bitches or rose behind the cars of ore at
the mouths of tunnels. Indeed, it is alleged
that Jenno Forester, backed and supported
by seven other equally shameless young
women, had openly and publicly waved her
handkerchief to the ford Hercules of Five
Forks-one Tom Flynn, formerly of Vir-
ginia-leaving that good natured but not
ONeT-UTlSub SidHt puilIu5 uio UiOEuO Ahuo-
taches in bashful amazement.!
1t was pleasant June afternoon that Miss
Nellie Arnot, principal Of the primary de-
partment of one of the public schools of San
Francisco, resolved to put into operation
plan which had lately sprang up in her cour-
ageous and mischief-loving fancy. With that
wonderful and mysterious instinct OF her
sex, from whom no secrets OF the affections
are hid, and to whom all hearts are laid open,
oI.a l,oI ri pf( Of auyfyin inc, ly
and the existence of the "Idiot Asylum"
Alone, ON Hawkinss Hill, she had deter
mined - penetrate its secluson. Skirting
the underbrush at the foot of the hill, she
managed to keep the heaviest timber between
herself and the "Blazing Starr tunnel at Its
base, &c we'll as the cabin Of Hawkins, half
way up the ascent, until, by circuitOus
ronte, at last she reached, unobserved, the
summit. Before her rose, silent, darkened,
and motionless, the object of her search.
Here her courage failed her, with all the char
acteristic inconsequence of her sex. A sud
den fear of all the dangers she had safely
passed-bears, tarantulas, drunken men and
lzards-came upon her. For moment, as
she afterwards expressed it, "she thought she
should die" With this belief, probably, she
gathered three large stones, which she could
hardly lift, for the purpose Of throwing
great distance; put two hairpins in her
luOuLu, duu CdICluiiy lCdOJuSUCu WAUu UOtu
hands two stray braids OF her lovely blue
black name which had fallen in gathering the
stones. Then she felt in the pockets OF her
linen duster for her card-case, handkerchief,
pocket book, and smelling-bottle, and finding
them intact, suddenly assumed an air of easy,
lady-like unconcern, went up the steps OF the
Veranda, and demurely pulled the front door
bell, which she knew would not be answered.
After decent pause, she walked around the
10 ,;v,i f1,ao
shutters of the French windows until she
found one that yielded to her touch. Here
she paused again to adjust her coquettish hat
by the mirror-like surface of the long sash
window that reflected the full length of her
pretty figure. And then she opened the win
dow and entered the room.
Although long closed, the house had a
smell of newness and of fresh paint that was
quite unlike the moldiness of the conven-
tional haunted house. The bright carpets,
the cheerful walls, the glistening oilcloths
with the idea of a ghosts. With childish
curiosity she began to explore the silent house,
at first timidly-opening the doors with a
violent push, and then stepping back from
the threshold to make good possible retreat;
and then more boldly, as she became con-
WINGED of her security and absolute loneliness.
In one of the chambers, the largest, there
were fresh flowers in vase-evdently gath
ered tnat morning; ana WnaC seemed stlll
more remarkable, the pitchers and ewers
were freshly filled with water. This obliged
Miss Nelly to notice another singular fact,
namely, that the house was free from dust
the one most obtrusive and penetrating visitor
of Five Forks. The floors and carpets had
been recently swept, the chairs and furniture
carefully wiped and busted. If the house
acds haunted, it was possessed by spirit who
had none of the usual indifference to decay
and mold. And yet the beds had evidently
never been slept in, the very springs of the
chair in which she sat creaked stifhy at the
novelty, the closet doors opened with the
reluctance OF fresh paint and varnish, and in
spite OF the warmth, cleanliness, and cheer
fulness of furniture and decoration, there was
none OF the ease OF tenancy and occupation.
As Miss Nelly afterwards confessed, she
longed to tumble things around" and when
she reached the parlor or drawing-room
again, she could hardly resist the desire. Par
ticularly was she tempted by closed piano,
that stood mutely against the wall. She
thought she would open it just TO see who
was the maker That done it would be no
harm to try its tone. She did SO with one
little foot on the soft pedal. But Miss Nelly
was too good player, and too enthusiastic
musician to stop at Ealf measures. She tried
1t agaln-thls time SO sincerely that The whole
house seemed to spring INTO voice. Then she
stopped and listened. There was no response
the empty rooms seemed to have relapsed
into their old stiffness. She stepped out on
the varanda--a woodpecker recommended his
tapping on an adjacent tree, the rattle of a
cart in the rocky gulch below the hill came
falntly up. No one was to be seen far or near.
Miss Nelly, treasured, returned. She again
ran her ringers over the keys-stopped, caught
al melody running IN hef mlnd, half played
u, ana then Ihrew away an caution. Before
hve minutes aao elapsed sne nad entlreiy lor-
SotCen herself ana WIN ner hnen custer
tnroWh ASIDE, 1er sIrW nat nung on the piano,
ner WINE nanas pafed, ana black loop OF
nel Dlaiueu nalr hanging upon her shoulder,
wasi,aIi!y elmoathea upon moving sea OF
inS Sho haS So 1,1n,'oJ 1nc., ,,o,e
no i ;''.. p1imaps ian an houl, wneii
nnd yuas h hn.S hud an e,aoofaCe symphony
,nr1 distipctu nd nus on tne Aeys, sue neard
oS SIo,,ao tso rsnu ,;t unS'a9aoiy tne SCUM
3ros ~ S In an Instant Tue
in lss =, Snao anu i.lu,Sea.lon ieapeo INTO
nel .uee NJ anu sue rose IroM Inc instrument
anu ANU ran 70 tne wlnooW only IN Time to catch
slght OF dozen hgures In blue and red fan
mel sniris VANISHING hurrledly through the
trses De,ow;
MS. Mss Teny Iilnu was instantly made up.
Il, lni a.is nave already lntlmated that under
tuo StluuuluS Vi excitement she was not want