The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-10-22


impulses, she was nevertheless a woman
and did not entirely despise the verdict
of convcntionality. She smiled sweetly
and assented, and in another moment the
| two were lost in the shadows of the
wood.
like many other apparent trivial acts
in an unventful life, it was decisive. As
she expected, she met two or three of
her late applauders, who she fancied,
looked sheepish and embarrassed; she
met also her companions looking for her
in some alarm, who really appeared as
tonished at her escort, and she fancied
triAe envious of her evident success.
fear that Miss ArnOt, in response to their
anxious inquiries, did not state entirely
the truth, but without actual assertion,
led them to believe that she had, at a
very early stage of the proceeding com
pletely subjugated this weak-minded gi-
ant, and had brought him triumphantly
to her feet. From telling this story two
or three times she got finally to believing
that she had some foundation for II then
to vague sort of desire that 1t would
eventually prove to be true, and then 70
an equally vague yearning to hasten that
consumation. That it would rebound 10
any satisfaction of the Fool she did not
stop to doubt. That it would cure him OF
his folly she was quite confident. In
deed, there are very few of us-men or
women-who do not believe that even a
hopeless love for ourselves is more con
ducive to the salvation of the lower than
a requited affection for another l.la
The criticism of Five Forks was, as the
reader may imagine, swift and conclu-
| sive. When 1t was found out that Mis-
Arnot was not "the Hag" masqueradihg
as young and pretty girl TO the uli-
mate deception Of Five Forks in general
and the fool in particular, it was at once
decided that nothing but the speedy
union of the Fool and the pretty school
marin" was consistent with common
sense, The singular good fortune of
Hawkins was quite in accordance with
the theory of his luck as propounded BY
the camp, That after "the Hag" failed 10
make her appearance he should strike
a lead' in his own house, without the
trouble of "prospeCtin'," seemed to these
casuists as wonderful but inevitable
law To add to the fateful probabilities,
Miss Arnot fell and sprained her ankle IN
the ascent TO Mount Lincoln, and was
confined for some weeks to the hotel az
ter her companions had departed. Dur
ing this period Hawkins was civilly bat
grotesquely attentive. When after
reasonable time had elapsed, there still
appeared to be no immediate prospect Of
the occupancy of the new house, public
opinion experienced a singular change
in regard to its theories of Mr.. Hawking
conduct. "The Hag" was looked upon
as saint-like and long-suffering martyr
to the weakness and inconsistency Of the
Fool. That, after erecting this new
house at her request, he had suddenly
gone back" on her; that his celibaGy
was the result of long habit of weak
proposal and subsequent shameless re-
lection, and that he was now trying his
hand on the helpless school marin, was
perfectly plain to Five Forks. That he
should be frustrated in his attempts at
any cost was equally plain. Miss Nelly
suddenly found herself invested with
rude chiyalry that would have been
amusing had it no been at times embaP-
RAISING; that would have been impertin-
ent but for the almost superstitious res
pect with which it was prohered. Every
day somebody from Five Forks rode out
to inquire after the health of the fair pa
tient. "Hez Hawkins bin yer to-day"
queried Tom Flynn with artful ease and
indifference, as he leaned over Miss
Nellys easy chair on the yeranda. Miss
Nelly, with a faint pink flush on her
cheek, was constrained to answer, mo"
"Well, he sorter sprained his foot agin
rock Yesterday" continued Flynn, with
shameless untruthfulness. "You mustn't
think anything o'that Miss Arnot. He'll
be over yer tO-morrer, and meantime he
told me to hand this yer bokay with his
regards, and this yer specimen And
Mr.. Flynn laid down the flowers, he had
picked en- route against such an emer-
gency, and presented respectfully piece
of quartz and gold which he had taken
that morning from his own sluice box.
"YOu mustn't mind Hawkins ways, Miss
Nelly" said another sympathizing miner.
"There amt better man in camp than
that theer Cy Hawkinsl but he don't un-
derstand the ways O. the world with
wimin. He hasn't mixed as much with
society as the rest of u.s." he added, with
an elaborate Chesterfeldian ease of man
ner, "but he means we'll" MeanwhileA .
few sympathetic tunnel men were inn
pressing upon Mr.. Hawkins the necessity
of the greatest attention to the invalid.
at won't do, Hawkins" they explained,
"to let that gal go back to San Francis
co and say that when she was sick and
alone, the only man in Five Forks under
whose roof she had rested, and at whose
| 4, ,sa 70
natural but pardonable exaggeratlon
of frhetOric-ever threw of on her; and 1t
shan't be done. 1t amt the square
thing to Five Forks. And then the Fool
would rush away to the valley, and be
received by Miss Nelly with a certain re-
serve of manner that finally disappeared
in flush of color, some increased vivac-
ity and pardonable coquetry. And 30
the days passed; Miss Nelly grew better
in health and more troubled in mind,
and Mr.. Hawkins became more and
more embarrassed, and Five Forks
smiled and rubbed its hands, and waited
for the approaching denouement. And
then it came. But not perhaps in the
manner that Five Forks had imagined.
1t was lovely afternoon in July that
party Vi edsleIn VouIl5Io IOu0 mSS
Five Forks. They had just "done" the
valley of Big Things, and, there being
one or two eastern capitalists among the
party, it was deemed advisable that =
proper knowledge Of the practical min
ing resources Of California should be
added to their experience of the merely
picturesque in Nature. Thus far every
thing had been satisfactory; the amount
of water which passed over the Fall was
large, owing to a backward season; some
snow still remained on the canons near
the highest peaks. They had ridden
round one OF the biggest trees, and
through the PROSTATE trunk Of another.
To say that they were delighted is TO
express feebly the enthusiasm of these
ladies and gentlemen, drunk with the