The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-01-11

| gaiter, protruded from under the folds
of her dress, SIS it was disturbed by the
| winds Of the evening that crept in gusts
| up the valley. Her hair fell over her
| shoulders in auburn ringlets, and as the
wind softly lifted them the waning sun
| light shono through their golden folds
with an inefable halo.
Who could she be? I had not yet seen
her face. Walking slowly to where she
stood, looked for hex to turnrand con-
front me ; but she did not. The profile
| contour of the face wore perfect shape,
but there was a seemingly cold beauty
| about it.
''Senorita, ventured to say, ssthis is
a charming evening"
She turned her face full upon me. I
was almost startled at the expression of
the eyes, looking from face that was
beautiful to perfection. They were gray.
bat unfeelingly cold.
eyes" she answered, and her voice
rang with metallic sound.
s'Do you reside in this strange place."
1 again ventured.
"Yes"
No more /; that was all the answer I
received. Now, [ am not inQuisitlve.
The blood of New England is not in my
veins, but that which coslrsed the arter-
les of the Hugenots yet I was deter
mined to learn more about her.
''Do you reside near the mission,
miss % asked, pers rsuasively, bending
my head until my faco almost touched
her golden ringlets
She turned her body, with back TO me
holding her position firmly on the square
rock, and her figure took pose that a
sculptor would have admired, the folds
of her dress and gown forming drapery
no art could equal, and shot her arm
straight out, and the finger of her brown
tapering hand pointed up the western
slope to the top of stone house that
just displayed itself among the deep
growth of mesquite branches interyen-
ing. No word in reply escaped her. She
only relapsed into her old attitude and
looked toward the village.
''Senor %
Turning, q youthful Mexican was
| standing near me. He beckoned me to
follow him. [ obeyed reluctantly, as the
youthful being who stood OF the broad
stone cross was really beginning to be-
7 come Of interest to me.
''Senor,'' and the Mexican gracefully
| took from his mouth a cigarette, 'sshe
viii not converse with you"
"Why?" 7 replied, in apparent sur
prise.
| esShe will converse with no strangers
nor VIII she tell her story - and a care
| less smile fitted across his brown face.
'sCne year ago to-day, just at day-break
the people in the plaza at Goiiad were
startled by pistol shots, and body of
men rode through the town, evidently
| in pursuit of some one. On running
from their houses this girl was found
wounded in the shoulder, butshe would
reveal nothing, nor would she permit
any one else to touch her except the
surgeon who dressed her wound. It was
pronounced trivial. The surgeon, q
| good man. took her to his house, but
! she remained reticent and sullen all that
| day, and in the afternoon fed, and in
the evening was discovered standing
r.-Iorc 81, SC P-,t or
bear the strain, and about this very
| hour" and he looked at the declining
sun, ''she fell with a moan, her wound
| broke out afresh, and she was soon COW
cred with blood. The people in yonder
house, Americanos," and he pointed TO
| the stone house, 'stook her, and she has
not impaired, and the people with whom
she resides say that she is gentle unless
aroused, and then she is like tigress.
But her fierceness never displays itself
only to strangers, or to those who she
may think are doing a wrong
Strange, strange" said, and mus
ed over what I had heard. ssIs there
| no link by which she can be traced 70
| s'None it has bsen tried The mon
who rode through the town never re-
turned, and shortly after that occurrence
three men were found murdered on the
banks of the Nueces river. They were
buried. That is the only clew, and was
never followed, as no one cared
As he ceased speaking, six armed men
rode up to the mission. Five disn2ount-
ed the sixth, a tai, muscular, brown
haired, blue eyed man, was left upon his
horse, bound, his arms being tied behind
him.
Help him to dismount. Rucker, -
spoke the leader OF the party. ''He must
be thirsty
From the bound captive 1 casually
glanced at the girl. She had changed
her position and was looking at the pris-
oner, and her gray eyes apparently di-
lated as she caught CLEAN from those
of the tall, bound man, and I thought a
tear glistened in them. Their eyes fully
met, and something like flash of frecog-
milton, as an electric spark, passed be-
tween them, and again her face wore q
look of cold unconcern.
"Grey," spoke the leader, q low set,
dark-featured man, as he dismounted.
viii you have some water?''
eyes, Haskell. YouknowI have drank
but once to-day"