The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-02-25

hands for the respect he bore me. Touch
Ing my rifle Significantly, pointed to
the stick lying across the hearth be-
tween us. That's your boundary line,
my man. l said don't go stretching
your hand over that This sent him
Into fit of sullenness.
What came of 1t 7"
We must have remained in this po-
sition till midnight Several times l
heard slight sounds outside the fort, but,
though he too listened, he dared not re
spond to them he could do nothing.
After a while these sounds ceased; his
associates, rightly judging that some
thing had gone wrong and sp0llt the
scheme, had no doubt made off, tired of
waiting. The fellows head was bent,
his chin rested on his breast. His sEag-
gy beard spreading over u like man
tie. He suffered martyrdom. By and
by we got to talking, hut didn't relax
in my vigilance for an instant. Once
started OH his own history, the subject
seemed to have a fascination for him.
He had been honestly raised, he said,
by good aud loving parents in the State
of Missouri--had passionately loved a
young girl in the town where he lived
and his description of her was so pretty
and vivid that declare it brought into
my mind that other girl who was wait
ing for me down in the Wallamet Val
ley. To get the means to marry her he
resolved to go 10 California. He went,
was successful, and, full of joyful antic-
ipaliuns, It turned to find that she had
married another. The man, the hus-
band, had played them false, told the
girl that her lover was dead, and mar
ried her himself When he came out of
the brain-fever which this news had
given him he was invited to an eve
ming party in the town To this party
came his love and her husband and
when he put out his hand to welcome
her their eyes met, aud both knew then
how they had been betrayed. From that
hour the man took to evil courses, aud
his first victim was the false husband.
lie became desperate outlaw. Once
again he saw his lOve--he met her in
the streets of Sacramento she was mar
rled again, and she turned from him
with cry of aversion. Yes, he might
be desperate man now, lie added, but
he had his trials. l suppose l should
have done society a benefit had | shot
him as he sat there, but did not. Per-
haps you won't believe that felt sort
of pity for the fellow, but / did. Well,
morning came at last. l sent Edwards
to get the gate open, and escorted my
visitor out, telling him that there was
not room for him and me in that part of
the country, and that he had better quit
1t for another"
"And did he 2"
" suppose so, for he never attempted
to modest me again. Not long after |
heard of his death. He met his fate east
of the mountains
"And what of that pretty Amazon,
Joseph ? I'm sure she was almost as
good to you as guardian angel, coming
on horseback to give you warming"
p" Was she not ? And | had returned
1t by behaving so unhandsomely to her.
But now, just ask you, would it have
been proper to let her come in on that
week S visit, and l young man with u
reputation ?''
" AT any rate, you did not. But have
you ever seen her since ?''
"Once: it was in Frisco. She was
married and staying at the same hotel
with me. Her husband was tall dash
ing man-what with you would be called
q gentleman-and very wealthy. She
had been lucky, you see. | knew her as
soon as SHE came into the dining. room,
and in few minutes / saw that she rec
ognized me; but she did not take any
notice, and neither did I. She told me
with her eyes that she remembered, but
there was an appealing glance in them
which interpreted rightly. After din
ner we got into conversation, the three
of us, just as strangers will do in a hotel
and found the husband very intelligent
and well-informed. In parting 1 got
Just word aside with her. Il am glad
to meet you again, and thus, L said.
Hush ! she answered. Il thank you
for your reticence. In the past of a life
that has been composed of ups and
downs there is generally something or
other lying on the memory that we do
not care to recall or proclaim to the
world.''
kk A N n1ANs,I I,nk -.