Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-30

| found among q troop OF ltinerant players
she would still have been queen among
women. Before l found anything to re-
ply she held out her hand as If to make up
for her words, saying:
GOOD night, Mr.. Hunter; fear my
uncle must be waiting for me. Will you
excuse me ?" Then she was gone, and all |
could do was to return to my room and
mediate how could best prove to Janet
that would do anything for her. Alas !
there was no hiding the fact now. was
desperately IN love with this mysterious
Janet l despised myself for it, and my
only consolation was that she despised me
| too.
/ woke up the next morning determined
to ingratiate myself with Mr.. Smith, but
for fear of appearing troublesome waited
till 10 o'clock before inquiring of the
waiter how Mr.. Smith was reported to be
! this morning.
Better, monsieur. The Mr.. Smith and
the Miss went away this morning early
the doctor said this air of the city not good
for him; SO they have gone up to the
mountains to place called Callaz.
What Janet gone again Had she
done it on purpose? But no, l could not
thus far fiatter myself. She had only not
thought it worth while to tell me their
plans.
81 am going to Callaz to-day, garcon.
When does the diligence start? p
Sat four hours of the afternoon, mon.
sieur."
s. Then take my place on the outside, :"
[ said, feeling decidedly downhearted and
not a little cross that l should still be in
tent on following girl who managed SO
well to run away from me.
cat all events, Janet shall see | mean
what / say" / muttered. And in this
frame of mind l whiled away the hours
till it was time to start for Callaz
| The diligence arrived at last at Callaz
and descended in front of an enlarged cha
let, which l was told was the only hotel of
the place. It stood half way up slope,
and behind it lowered mountain.
On walking up to the door the first per-
son | saw was Mr.. Smith seated in the
verandah but l looked round in vain for
any appearance of Janet There was no
GOODNESS at least on Mr.. Smiths part
toward me, for he received me quite
warmly.
s.Well, sir, l call this curious coinci-
| dence It's wonderful, as | said to Janet
yesterday, when she told me you had ar
rived, how friends do meet in these out
landish places. And then to think Of your
turning up here You find me quite a
sufferer, Mr.. Hunter. It's the govt but
there's something else that I don't tell
Janet about. It's heart too-that's what
the real mischief is.
{" / am sure Miss Smith is anxious"
said.
"Bless me, she isn't Smith she
doesn't take at all after our race. She was
Morton. Her father married my sister
when she was quite young. Young people
are foolish, Mr.. Hunter but my sister
Jane was the prettiest girl at Payneton.
| Mr.. Morton was clergyman very
eccentric man as full of learning as an
| eggs full of meat, but no common sense,
not grain. Poor Jane died when Janet
was born. She wasn't married above a
year, and lost sight of Mr.. Morton and
the little one. He was not Of our sort,
| but related to the grand folks, and so
brought up his daughter after his own
fashion. However, he died at a most in
convenient time, sir. Janet was II, and
he didn't leave her penny, but debts in
plenty. He wasn't bad man either
but, there, it's not our way of providing
! for children. Well, the grand people
didn't want Janet when they saw how she
was left, and when I heard Of it l came
forward. / settled up the fathers affairs,
and then offered Janet home. | wasn't
at all the thing, and wanted some one to
| look after me- So Janet came, and bet
| ter girl there can't be, though she never
gets used to our ways quite As the doc
l I'll 4
| be merrier coming with Mr.. Cooks party !;
but it's not her way. She seems deal
happier with me alone, up in these quiet
parts.
l was deeply interested in hearing all
! this. After all. was not mistaken; Janet
was lady and had been brought up as one.
" Where is Miss Morton now ?" | asked.
Well, she ought to be in, for she went
up the mountain sometime ago, to see the
sun set, or something. She needed some
fresh air, told her, for really last night
she seemed quite moped.
| / rose, saying that as Mr.. Smith was
anxious, would 90 in quest OF his niece.
Before he could refuse, hastened away.
More than half way up the mountain
was covered with short turf, at first inter-
mixed with flowers and brushwood. Then
they ceased, and one came upon overgrown
boulders and loose stones, enlivened by the
Alpine rose. Further up again vegetation
ceased entirely, and the mountain crest
rose in bare ruggedness in the sky. Janet
would certainly have not reached to that re-
gion. She must be seeing the sun set from
some grassy slope, for the sky was cloud
less. | fastened on. But l found the
climbing much more difficult than | ex-
pected, not having waited to provide my
self with an alpenstock. 1 planted my
nailed boots firmly into the turf, and pro.
crossed steadily.
At last reached kind of ledge, or hol-
low, and turning round for moment be.
held the great snow range of Mount Blanc,
and further back the st. Bernard group
flooded in the wonderful crimson glow well
known to Swiss travellers, perfect earthly
paradise Was Janet seeing it too? | felt
sure she would appreciate it. But where
was she ? Had l missed her? Above me
rose very steep bit OF climbing and over
that another ledge.
Suddenly saw high above me the fut-
ter of dress. l could not quite distin-
guish who it was, yet l felt sure it must be
Janet. waved my arm, and then, whether
she was startled or whether she slipped
over something l know not, but at that
minute / saw her fall. She made {. violent
effort to save herself, but let go her alpen.
stock, which rolled rapidly away from her
Then, losing all control over her move
ments, she half slipped, half rolled down
the fearful deelivity.
was some way of. Also she was moi
Just above me, but somewhat to the right,
where no second ledge would stop heI
course. In an instant | made up ny mind
l rushed on as fast as possible in down
ward direction to the right. In this way
might perhaps reach some point where
could stop her descent. II not, she might
be killed or seriously injured by striking
against some boulder. l flew on, keeping
my eyes on her. Now and then she was
partially stopped by aome small impedi
ment, but again precipitated downward by
the struggles she made TO regain her foot
ing.
It takes long to describe, but it did net
take many moments to reach spot below,
only lust in time to catch at her dress.