The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-03-31
SACRAMENTO.

IL was an odd name for girl-Sacra-
mento.
So the girl herself thought as she
stopped down beside a spring at the foot
of cottonwood tree and lazily dropped
her pail into the water.
"It ought to have been given to boy,
if it was fit name to give to anybody, "
she said, quite aloud. "But am more
boy than girl anyway"
This last was added rather bitterly, as
she looked at her brown, rough hands
and her bare ankles, and thought of the
"boy's work" she had to do.
And it was hard to believe that this
was the best kind of life for young
girl like Sacramento. Here she lived
alone, for her father was down at the
mouth of the canon all day. The gar
den work she was obliged to do, and
the care of the cattle fell upon her 1t
was not often that she saw any person
but her father, although now and then,
in spite of herself, she came In contact
with the rude men of the mining camp
up above.
Yet Sacramento had her dream-one
that she scarcely dared to own" but
it came to her often as she went about
her work.
She knew that down at Santa Barbara
and in the towns along the coast, and
far, far away across wide stretches of
were girls who lived very different from
her life; and she dreamed of such a life
for herself.
"Oh, If L could only go away from
here T. she cried out, almost as one cries
for help. "H / could only go down to
San Francisco and go to school there for
a single year All, if only had S500l"
Suddenly there was step-not of a
man, but horse-on the bank behind
her, and then some one spoke. She
knew the voice without looking up. 1t
was Pete Larrabee, a fellow who lived
down on Hahnemann's plantation, two
miles along the trail. He sometimes
rode by. He had not heard her last
words at all yet strangely enough his
own were a repetition of them
~'sFive hundred dollars, Sac, - said he.
q" Five hundred dollars in goldI Dye
want ter earn it There's yer chance" !"
and he threw down to her a bit of paper
crumpled into ball.
$500 REwARp-The above amount will %
paid for information leading to the arrest, dad /
or alive, OF Walter Somers, who has worked or
some time past on MAxwelrs ranch. Sd
Somers is about Is years old and FIVE ar a
half feet high, rather good looking, with lif,
curly hair, blue eyes and a light muEtso.
When last seen he had on 3 black slouch i,
gray business suit with blue flannel shirt I'd
boots with red tops marked with the mals's
name.
The name of the county Sheriff rs
signed at the bottom of the bill. Sc
ramento, having glanced it throuh,
looked up.
"He's been stealin' horses, " exclairsd
Pete "got off last night with foulof
Max'll's best somewhere. That rewrd
won't do much good, though. Ter
Regulatorsll lasso him and string lm
up long fore ther law'll git startd.
They're hevin' a meetin' now up at ne
Gulch. / tell ye, they are mad. The'll
make quick work if they ketch him. er
fathers there. Ye needn't look fur m
home afore night much.
Then, after a word or two more, le
man rode on and presently Sacrameto
took up her pail, and, with the Sherf's
bill still In her hand, went slowly up 1e
bank and across the trail toward ne
house, thinking very seriously about ne
$500 all the while.
afternoon sun was going down behind
the tops of the mountains, that SAGA
mento, having finished her housewok.
was preparing to sit down on the porh
to do her sewing, when she was met a
the doorway by young man she hd
never seen before.
And yet he was no stranger. The grl
knew him instantly, although the slouch
hat Ill h,r-
and blue eyes, and the gray pants, torn
and muddy, had been drawn out of the
boot legs so as to no longer allow the
red tops of the boots with the makers
name be seen. 1t was the horse-thief.
She did not, however, express any
surprise as she saw him. She was ac-
customed to the sight of rough, evil
men, and at the first glance she had
felt that this one could not be either
very wicked or very dangerous. he
was not much more than a lad. and had
an air of gentleness and good breeding
about him that six months of Western
life and the miserable plight he was ID
at the moment had by no means de-
stroyed. He seemed to be short for
breath, too, and he was trembling as II
he had been running.
1lStlnCblNelN nc IhlScO A4S h<AAO w
ward his hat and then, bethinking HIM
self, dropped it again.
"Could you give me something to eat
and drink" he asked in hesitating
voice. Anything will do. am very
hungry. II have had nothing to eai
since last night"
"Come in" said Sacramento, gravely.
In her voice was neither kindness or an
kindness. She was trying to realize the
situation she was in. "Come in andsit
down."
Then she went into the closet near by
and began taking down from the shelves
milk and bread and meat, as she slowly
did so turning over the matter in her
mind. Here was this man, who had
been stealing horses, and for whose ap-
ture $500 was offered, in her kitchen.
Five hundred dollars Exactly the
sum she had been wishing for-the sum
that would take her down to San Fran
cisco to school and help her make a
lady of herself. And this sum might be
hers if she could in some way secure
this stranger or somehow keep hin in
the house until help arrived. Help
Why, she hardly needed help. Hewas
weak and exhausted, and in the drswer
of the kitchen table there was loaded
revolver which she knew we'll hoF to
use
She came out presently and setths
things before him, bringing also tea-