The Osceola times., 1882-05-20
SACRAMENTO.

| her pail into the water.
"ft ought TO have been given TO boy,
il 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 il 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 10 do, and
the care of the cattle fell upon her. II
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
II 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
the continent to the great East, there
were girls who lived very different from
her life; aud she dreamed of such lie
for herself.
"Oh, il I could only go away from
here 7" she cried out, almost as one cries
for help. "If could only 60 down to
San Francisco and go to school there for
a single year An, if only had $5O0!'
Suddenly there was step-not OF
man, but horse-on the bank behind
4 AIA
knew the voice without looking up. II
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.
Five hundred dollars, Sac," said he
"Five hundred dollars in gold Dye
want ter earn it There's yer chance,
and he threw down to her bit of paper
crumpled into ball.
$500 REwARp-The above amount will
be paid for information leading to
the arrest, dead or alive, of Walter So
mers who had worked for some time
past on Maxwell's ranch. Said Somer
Is about eighteen years old and five and
half feet high, rather good looking
with light, curly hair, blue eyes and 8
light moustache. When last seen he
had on black slouch hat, gray business
suit with blue flannel shirt, and boots
with red tops marked with the makers
name.
The name of the county Sheriff was
signed at the b ottom of the bill. Sac
ramento having glanced it through
looked up.
He's been stealin' horses" exclaimed
Pete; got off last night with four o.
Max'll's best somewhere. That reward
won't do much good, though. Thel
Regulatorsll lasso him and string hin
up long fore ther lawll git started
They're hevin' meetn' now up at the
Gulch. / tell ye, they are mad. They'll
make quick work il they ketch him
Yer fathers there. Ye needn't look ful
him afore night much"
Then after a word or two more, the
man rode on; and presently Sacramento
took up her pail, and with the sheriff /
bill still insher hand, went slowly up thu
bank and across the trail toward The
house, thinking very seriously about the
$500 all the while.
IL was some hours after this, and tht
fternoon sun was going down behind
| the tops of the mo untains, that Sacra
mento, having finished her housework
was preparing TO sit down on the porch
to do her sewing, when she was met in
the doorway by young man she had
never seen before.
and yet he was no stranger. The girl
knew him instantly, although the slouch
- al ln.l l,n Ha .t,
hair 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 TO be seen. 1t was the horse thief.
She did not, however. express any sur
prise rs she saw him. She was accus-
toned 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. lie was not much
more than lad, and had an air Of gen.
tleness about him that six months of
Western life and the miserable plight he
was in at the moment had by no means
destroyed. He seemed to be short for
breath, too, and he was trembling as il
ne had been running.
Instinctively he raised his hand to.
ward his hat and then, bethinking him
self, dropped it again.
"Could you give me something TO eat
and drink?" he asked in a hestitating
voice. Anything will do. am very
hungry. IL have had nothing TO eat
since last night"
"Come in," said Sacramento gravely.
In her voice was neither kindness nor
ulkindness. She was trying to realize
the situation she was in. "Come in and
sit 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 cap
ture $500 was offered in her kitchen.
Eve 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 lady
Of herself. And this sum might be hers
il she could in some way secure this
stranger, or in somehow keep him in
the house until help arrived. Help
Why, she hardly needed help. He was
weak ard exhausted, and in the drawer
of the kitchen table there was a loaded
revolver which she knew well how to
use.
She came out presently and Sc. the
things before him, bringing also q
teapot from the stove, pouring for him q
cup of tea. Then she went and sat down
by the window and watched him furtive
ly rs he ate.
In spite of his caution he had taken
off bis hat while he was eating. She
could better see what he was like. |,
was an almost boyish face, worn, but not
| wicked. with the curling hair living in