The Republican journal., 1874-12-17

| ~ tiic ihc'tItlIIS. : EjIlu2 tNN ttuttu Will
us. The March winds were blowing when
they left, but April came balmy and
sweet. with cloudles3 skies Spring in the
desert seems like the faint intangible
! shade ot some dead spring in greener
lands. The bare, brown hills take on no
gracious covering OF verdure-the sage
brush only gains Il deeper gray there are
no little rills to sing songs to the blue
blrds-but the soft west winds tell YOU
| that SotatcheFe the flowers are blooming
and the trees are budding. though it may
be thousand miles away.
| With the sandy bench spreading away
| from our back door to the mountains,
| now precious seemed the little strip of
| green IN front, winding and curving along
the base Of the low hills at the eastern
side Of the valley, Just at the caprice of
the littIe rivulet which gave it being
10 be sure, much Of it was tule grass and
the rest was a wiry, alkalied excuse tor
the tender lurt at home, but it "wore the
!, green + in one or two sunny spots there
nestled tiny beds of blue violets, and vii
lows and Wild rose bushes grew far down
| the valley where the stream brOadened
Nell and had many glorious ramble {;
and when Ii surprised us with two
side saddles, all the way from AUSTIN and
/ costing We never dared ask how much.
we We're queens, indeed Every nook
and corner of the valley was explored,
and the little black pappooses who at first
ran from us in dire dismay, soon got to
| following US in inconvenient numbers,
clamoring tor the ''bishkit7 with which
| We We're always provided 1t was in May
that we heard from the travellers at San
Bernardino, and we looked tor them in
early June, before the tiercest heats should
come, Nell kept up brave tront-was
most helpful, and the greatest company
and comfort in our little household but
all that month OF May | knew her heart
was ont on the lonely plains, seeking the
brother who. as she once said, "was all
she had left Whether there were any
tender thoughts for the other one she ney-
er told
About the middle Of June, H---beean
to look tor them in earnest though he
said a delay OF ten or even fifteen days
would NOT alarm him, as there was 50
much allowance to be made for break
downs, hunting strayed stock. and all the
humorous and inevitable mishaps which
old campaigners know 50 well, the
ten days OF grace went slowly by,
and Nells brown eyes seemed to grow
larger as the pale cheeks grew thinner.
and her Wisttul gaze down the valley road
made my heart ache. II said to me
one morning II don't know that there
| is real cause ton anxiety, but have fought
for q week against what Sister En- would
call a presentment.' gave Seayer every
! instruction possible about the road and
the spring but if the animals gave out,
or those Mexican devils Of drivers be-
haveti badly, he might have trouble If
th1y're not iii by Wednesday, l shall start
cut On the road, but don't say anything to
Nell" The next day, however, Nell said
something for herself. At breakfast. She
spoke as il she could no longer keep back
the words "Mr. IL can nothing be
done? May not saddle Prince. and take
canteen and saddle bags and go to The
Pass | would get back by {. little after
dark, ana you have said chere was a view
for miles from that summit" She kept
up brayely, hardly a quivor in her voice
and not a tremble of the lip 1t was al
most too much for II. who replied :
My dear girl will start myself n the
morning, You and Mrs Ii =hall get
everything ready to-day and It'll be off by
daybreak"
Nell looked her thanks. and seemed al
most happy now that she could he doing
We made ready 4 capacious cantine with
coffee, a role of soft linen, and every
thing that our wits and H---'s expert
ence suggested, with many an unspoken
prayer that the things SO full 81 sugges-
ti0ns OF want and suffering might not be
/ Ar la f,l h
ing remained but to fold our hands aud
watch the day die Some chance word OF
mino touched the strained cord which had
held poor Neps feelings in leash 90 long
ana She threw herself at my feet, putting
her head on my lap, sobbed it all out
| kept utter silence, for she knew by this
time that no words were needed between
Us two But at last she spoke Dear
Mrs H, will YOU not beg your hus
band I'd let me 60, too? Another day of
inaCtion and suspense will Kill me. | will
be no trouble / am strong besides, our
! TWO horses can carry double the quantity
Of food and water and-and there are
two Of the lost ones Ii we should find
them, they can both ride. . Mrs Ii"
and then the words came faster and the
face was turned further away, Il have
been so wicked 1t is both of them
want saved Mr.. Seayer spoke to me be-
mn M in Joe tbat 7 LEFT him start ON thar
dreadful Journey without one word to tell
Linn how my heart ached | thought it
was treason to Joe, and now | am going
TO be punished my life lono.r 1t had
come to be almost undisputed between us
that something was wrong. and | let her
take it for granted but / gave her what
comfort | could and promised to do nv
best with Ii. though | was about
hopeless on that score, However, after
the preliminary remarks which expect
ed, evincing great disgust at being both
cred with a woman" he began to be
reasonable. and finally Welded with such
grace as he could muster, and with only
this parting sally. "When Seaver Gets
here. if he don't marry the oirl and oct
her Off nv hands in less than week IN
discharge him. which, on the whole
considered very mild for Ii,
By daybreak next m0rnino Prince and
N,,lt,, ,t.a,.a -a lllul ILL l!cn.i H.