The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-03-19

lust gone away, or that kas suspecte n lucy
had talked of making o raid on the Cnluese
only 10 throw me of my guard; Tor ~ was
my fort on~Which -the- attack was 70 oo
made. @-,s7. daod
tired, to bed, made a great IRE IN Tue .eI.t
md sat by It, facing the wind" "" rhy -
,,ectrd visitor came. the villainl lie mnde
bciieyeto have been drinking, and put tnaI
forward zas a plea for asking shelter uhti!
The morning. The instant he was INSIDE
made the gate fast, driving the big WOODEN
anins home with an axe. caught q EteaI
from, his ewes us was. doing this Wnich-z
!. sBut why not have made the gate iast pe-
sora bo! entered p, : - ,r''''''...e'
'V.s Reea,ise he was safer inside than out. A
conviction had come over me that luis man
WINS <some uiost desperate character. his
comrades were, no doubt waiting near, anu
his plan had been quietly to open tue gate
to them" ...i..ggs.
"Had you no arms butyour rlfie!',
81 wanted none, for we understood eacn
other, my rife and L. This villain under
stood us, too. don't think, either, that ne
liked to see Edwards sleeping III the ,ept.
The lad was not good for much; ontst, ue
was somebody. It would now be contest
Of skill between the fellow and me. TIC was
waiting his opportunity, and so was 1. "!
all vilanous. looking men be was Tue "oIs,
lookins-tall. swarthy, black-Dearoea, Gnu
with hard. face that must have Deeh nanu-
some once, and fierce black eyes sleamlng
with evil. He sat on one side OF tue hearID'
I on the other, our eyes hxed on o"san'
other. .,o. ,,ovo
"You guess, 1 dare say, that nave
quick ear, for you know what my lehpeIa-
ment is-all sensitive consciousness. NY
good hearing had been cultivated 100 ny
listening for the Indians. BY ana o! ~
footed n very stealthy movement OUTSIDE Tue
sort and then faint chirruD, such as
vonne SQUIRREL might make. Up sprang the
man. but 7 covered BIN, with my rlne,
cooked. He saw the movement, showea
his teeth, and drew out pistol, but not pc
fore had ordered him to throw down MS
arms or die. He hesitaed; be saw 'hat I'D
nv owe and ASPECT which made him quali.
While 7 held the rifle leyelled ana my
finger on the trigger he threw down ms
arms-pistol and knife--Wlth dreauIul
oath, I had the best OF him, anu ne knew
# for before he could have put MS pls!ol
into form or rushed on me with his kn'ie
flo hall from nv rifle would have been IN
him His language was awful--and we are
NOT nice in this respect, you Know III Ca.''
fnrnia-the foam lay on his lips. lie de-
handed TO be let out Of the house, denounc-
inp me as a robber and murderer. 10
ali his rawlings I had but one answer-to
he o1jet, to obey me, and he snould NVe'
dare 10 disobey me and he should Gle. lie
sat there, cowed, on the opposite side OF
the fire, not daring to make even doubtful
motion, Then told him what knew
that had heard what he was and what he
meant to do. With that lie broke down
utterly, or pretended to do so-crlcd IKE
child, declaring that now be knew my pluck
and had been the first man ever to get the
heller OF him. he loved me like a brother.
All the same, love or no love, he had to SIT
where he was, and in front OF him with
nv rifle on my knees. There was a long
niobt before us; he could lave no liberty
in if. and the restraint was horrible to him.
One moment he laughed uneasily, the next
cursed. the next cried. 1t was strange
cypcrience, was it not? To pass away the
fine. asked him to relate the history OF
his life. lie said he would, but would first
nj all lust shake hands for the respect he
bore me. Touching my rifle significantly, l
poutcd to the stick lying across the hearth
Dlace between us. THAT'S your boundary
Inc, nv man. said 7; don't 20 stretching
your hand over that This sent him into
| tit Of sullenness."
"What came Of it?"
owe must have remained in this position
till midnight. Several times l heard slight
sounds outside the fort, but though he, too,
listened, he dared not respond to them; he
could do nothing. After awhile these
sounds ceased; his associates, rightly ludS-
ing that something or other had gone wrong
and spoilt the scheme, bad no DOUBT maze
off, til ed uf waiting. The fellows head
was bent, his chin resting on his breast, bis
shaggy beard spreading over it like man.
tie, He suffered martvrdom. BY and by
we got to talking, but did not relax in my
vigilance for an instant. Once started on
his own history, the subject seemed 10 have
fascination for him. He had been hon
cstly raised he said, by good and lov-
ing parents in the State Of Missouri-had
passionately loved young girl in the town
where he lived; and bis description OF her
was so pretty and vivid that l declare it
brought into my mind that other girl who
was waiting for me down in the Willamette
Valley. TO get the means to marry her he
resolved to 20 to California. He went, was
successful, and, full OF joyful anticipatlons,
returned to find that she bad married an
other. The man, the husband, had played
them false, told the girl that her lover was
dead, and married her himself. When he
came out OF the brain-feyer which this
news gave him he was invited to an evening
PARTY in the town. To this party came his
love and her husband; and when heput out
his hand to welcome her their eyes met, and
both kncT; then how they had been betrayed.
From that hour the man took to evil courses,
and his first victim was the false husband
He became desperate outlaw. Once again
| no IL lie "a IN
Sacramento; she was married again, and
she turned from him with cry OF aversion.
Yes, he might be a desperate man now. he
added, but be had had his trials. l suppose
I should have done society a benefit had
shot him as he sat there. but did not
PERHAPS you won't believe that felt a 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 it for another"
/ "And did he?". 81. ...,....@ ..
81 suppose so, for he never attempted to
modest me again. Not long after heard Of
bis death. He met his fate east of the noun
tains."
land what OF that pretty Amazon, Jo-
seph? I'm sure she was almost as good to
you as a guardian angel, coming on horse
back to give you warning"
1 WAS she not? And l had returned it
by behaving so unhandsomely to her! But
now, Just ask you, would it have been
proper to let her come in on that weeks
visit, and young man with reputa-
| ton? ?"
"At any rate you did not. But have you
| ever seen her since!H