The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1879-07-13
'HARDSCRABBLE RANCHE

hills, and northeast of the Sangre de Christie
range lies the inining district Of Hardscrabble
There ls also Hardserebble park. which ID one
ut those hlgh-lying stretches Of pasture land
u common to the mountain region of Colorado
IA steep hill leads up to Ii from the lower level
Df the prairies, and behind 1T, and to the west
ward, rise the great mountains. This park
III about seven miles across, and is taken up
BIZ small Hquatters, who do not seem as yet To
I bevery Iiourishing. Then comes Hardsorabble
Greek, near which, i've miles up the rough,
rocky track, and ut an elevation Of over 1000
feet. Our summer rancho, Hugh's wedding
! present. ID situated.
Oneday, as sat under the front porch sew
Ing. Jabez came to me, and said:
n think, nia'arn, 7 ean yet you good help
\ af you will let me-
.sI shall be very pleased II you will aabez.
thought no woman would No into service In
this new state'
III ID i hard thing mostly to get any one to
+ do II. often wonder some Of the women
don't emigrate this way from them places
8 where they say theres too many OF them.
There's many OF us men rs is tired Of batch
thefe's TO be got
..Well, about thls young woman Jabez: you
Old not say she was young, however"
VI 10 that, ma am she's both young and
Epod-lgok,ing: , and very likely girl too.
Mary Bell ~ her narne. She's the daughter
Y cumberland" J"
II shall Ike her al the better for that"
thought 70, ma'an.'
'.y nere tbs, ao hsr parents I've and why does
They've had h little place Of their own
down oh Hardserabble park but they don't
net on very we'll. The folks Oh Hardserabbe,
X YOU Isee, ID mostly Of the close listed sort; !;
and they. EB too smart generally for the Eng
1Ish that come out West. The Bells have
always had d gooi name; but they're poorer
1 now BY long way, than they was q few
pears ago; what with the 'hoppers,' unlueky
Hwappi1gs and other things. SO old Bell has
made a, his mind to travel acrost the coun-
try to oregon, where THERE'S more OF his own
And why does not the daughter go with
a Irolks say she's stopping behind for love of
Bill Grant. wish II may not be trus: for
I he's b real bad QUILT he is. Him and mes
been ofl the round up together more than
once, and he's d deal too fond uf poker for my
fancy, afd too ready with bis 'six-shooter.'
Mary Bell IL too good f6l such as him, and
thought you'd q miud to give her y bit of u
M naeT, anyhow"
Hugh advised me to 40 TO the park To see
tl1s family; so made ready at once; and
Jabez, well pleased drove me down ths noun
tain track and over the park to where the
Y Bells lived.
g Mary was certainly likely looking for a
.'help.b She had been born in America. and
Z had oil the stnarbness and Independence 0f
the Western girls combined with an open
1rank expression Of face, roundness OF OUT
line. and comfortably homel like air, which is
often wanting In the American woman-a
restfulness. 50 to speak, which the latter
4 rAther desplses, although 1t often proves very
attractive 70 their men folk,
found my fame, ,as q country woman of
their own, had already reached the Bells, and
they gave me O very hearty weleome After
taking O thoroughly good survey of me. Mary
seemed to form Il favorable judgment, and be-
gun la true Western fashion TO make some tea
= Tor me.
Ny business was soon explained, and O.
satisfactory arrangement made.
The mother seemed only too glad to think
she would be leaving her daughter with us; |;
I ior she was evidently determined to stay. In
s Hnrdscrable.
nv help arrived III due course, with two
huge chests, three gorgeous bed-qullts of
patchwork, and many little things, which
showed the poor, good mother had deprived
Il heTself with an ait to the possibility CT her
daughters making home for herself away
About q fortnight after Mary came to us, a
Hue locking man In huntsnnn's dress called
TO see her. The midday dinner was over, and
she went out under the pineS with her visitor.
There she leaned up against the trunk of one
tree and be- opposite to her, agnlnst another.
In this fashion they talked for three hours,
until my patience was quite exhaused:
This appears to be respectable fellow /
said to Hugh. ut cannot pe the Bill Grant
Presently they shook hands, The man
seemed. ,agitated: but Mary's manner was
very OF. hand, as she cried:
Gooa-Dy, you need not come again. And
she ran into the house To resume her work,
humming merry air to herself as she went
about more briskIy. than usual.
During the evening, when Hugh had gone
outside to talk TO Jabez, told Mary to come
and sit down beside me-
II promised yonr mother that would be a
friend to YOU, Mary" said. "WilI you con-
tlde In me as such, and tell me who your vsi-
tor was, and what he wanted of you?'
He was @ neghbor OF ours down on the
park. ma'am.'
He appears to be respectable; and he is
good looking, too
20, as to that ma am, 50 he Is, but he's dull
sort of fellow-slow | and he tires me
out Hes always leeturing me about some-
thing or other"
'He must care for you, Mary, losinga days
work to come seven miles iii order to see YOU
But have heard of some one else, who is up
at the Rosita mines, / believe
Mary's face and neck became crimson, al
most. Then she looked me brarely and hon
astly in the lace, and said.
Yes, ma'am; and that's the man / love:
and / told John May he needn't come after
me again. He won't fret long. He doesn't
love me as Bill Grant does
Are YOU sure of that, Mary. This man
locks like one who would make girl good
trus husband, and. from all ] hear, that
could not be said OF the other one.'
sNu one dares to speak against Bill Grant
TO me- the girl said, almost tiarcely.
sWhy do you think the Rosita man loves
you best, Nary"
70, John May is SO cold and calculating
When father and mother had made up their
minds to 90 TO Oregon, he came and told me
ycas Y1xy t,t,y fT,s nrrifh "a ha
loved me, and had hoped To be able to marry
me 20 the fall when the grass was sold: but
perhaps II might be spring after all. before
ne could have q comfortable home ready; |