Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-01-05

tender and thoughtful of speech.
Gradually, however, his voice took up
on itself the harshness of his glance
and it's skeptical, impressive quality,
and as the wear again neared it's close il
was plain that the commander had
fitted himself to the eye, and not the
eye to the commander.
Itmay be surmised that these changes
did not escape the watchful solicitude
Of the Fathers. Indeed, the few who
were first to ascribe the right eye OF
Salvatierra to miraculous origin and to
the special grace OF the blessed San
Carlos, now talked openly Of withcraft,
and of the agency Of Lubzel, the evil
one. Jtwould have Jared i'll with Her
meneglido Salvatierra had he been aught
but commander or amenable to local
authority. But the reverend father,
Friar Manuel De Cortes, had no power
over the political executive; and all at
tempts at spiritual advice failed sig
nally. He retired bafded and confused,
from his first interview with the COM
mAnder, who seemed now to take grim
satisfaction in the fateful power of his
glance. The holy father contradicted
himself, exposed the fallacies of his
own argument, and even, it is asserted,
committed himself to several undoubt-
ed heresies. When the commander
stood up. at mass, If the officiating
priest caught that skeptical and search
ing eye service was inevitably ruined
Even the power of the holy church
seemed to be lost, and the last hold
upon the affections of the people and
the good order of the settlement de-
parted from San Carlos.
AS the long, dry summer passed, the
low hills that surrounded the white
walls of the Preside grew more and
more to resemble in hue the leathern
jacket of the commander, and nature
himself seemed to have borrowed his
hard, dry glare. The earth was cracked
and scanned with draught. A blight
had fallen upon the orchards and vine-
yards; and the rain long delayed and
ardently prayed for, came not. The
sky was fearless as the right eye of the
commander. Murmurs of discomfort,
INSTRUMENTATION and plotting among the
Indians, reached his ears. He only set
his teeth more firmly, frightened the
knot of his black silk handkerchief, and
looked upon his Toledo.
The LAST day of the year 1874 found
the commander sitting, at the hour of
evening prayer, alone in the guard.
room. He no longer attended the ser
vices of the holy church, but crept
away at such time to some solitary spot
where he spent the interval in silent
meditation. The freight played upon
the low beams and raftsrs, but left the
bold figure of Salvatierras in darkness.
Sitting thus be felt a small hand touch
his arm, and looking down, saw the fig
ure of Paquita, the little Indian pupil,
on his knee. 'sAh littlest Of all, said
the commander with something of the
old tenderness lingering over the en-
dearing diminutiveness of his native
speech. .sSweet one! What does thee
here2 Are yon not afraid of him whom
every one shuns and fears2''
sNo?" said the little Indian, readily
-"not in the dark. I heard your
voice-the old voice; I feel your touch
the old touch; but I see not your eye,
Senior Communicate. That only I
fear. And that, oh, Senior! oh, my
father p said the child, lifting her arms
toward his, "that I know is not thine
own ~
The commander shuddered and turned
away. Then, recovering himself, he
kissed Paquita gravely on the forehead,
and babe her retire. A few hours later,
when silence had fallen upon the Pres
ida, he sought his couch and slept
peacefully.
At about the middle watch of the
night dusky figure crept through the
low embrasure of the commanders
apartment. Other figures are fitting
through the parade ground, which the
commander might have seen had he not
slept SO quietly. The intruder step
ped noise essly to the couch, and list
ened to the sleeper's deep-drawn in
SEPARATION. Something glittered in the
freight as the savage lifted mis- arm.
Another moment and the sore perplexi-
ties of Hermenegido Salvatierra would
have been over, when suddenly the
savage started and fell back in parox-
ysm of terror. The commander slept
peacefully; bnt his right eye, widely
opened, fixed and unaltercd, glazed
coldiy on the would be assassin. The
man fell to the earth in fit, and the
noise awoke the sleeper. To rise to
his feet. grasp his sword and deal blows
thick and fast upon the mutinOus