The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-05-16
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Il was'a odd name ifor ! girl -sacra

hands and her hare ankles, and thought
Of the "boy's work" shs had todo.
+ 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 & the
month Of the canon all day. The gar.
den work she was obliged to do, and the
care Of the cattle fell upon her. It was
not often that she saw any person but
her father, although now and then, in
spite Of herself, she came in contac,
with the rude men Of the mining cam.
mp above. +a
Yet Sacramento had her dream, one
thss she scarcely dared own," but i,
came to her often as she went about he,
work. 8.-.ss ss, j. 49,.
She knew that down at Santa Barba,
ra and in the towns along the coast, and
far, far away across wide stretches o.
continent to the great east, there wert
girls who lived very different from he1
life, and she dreamed Of such life 70,
herself.
"oh, i'll could only go away from
here!" she cried out, almost as one cries
put for help" III could only go down
TO San francisco and go to school there
for q single year! Ah, il I only had
$500"
Suddenly there was step-not Of 9
man, but horse-on the bank behind
her, and then some one spoke. She
knew the voice without looking up. Il
was Pete Larrabee, fellow who lived
down on Hahnemanns plantation, two
miles along the trail. He sometime,
rode by. He had not heard her last
words at all; yet strangely enough his
own were repetition Of them.
Five hundred dollars, Sac," said he,
$500 in gold! Dye want TO earn iti
Theirs yer chance" and he threw down
to her bit of paper crumpled into 9
ball.
She picked it up, and slowly unfold
ing it, ran her eye over its contents:
$500 REWARD.
The above amount will be paid for in
formation leading to the arrest, dead OF
alive, of Walter Somers who has worked
for some time past ON Maxwell's ranch.
Said Somers is about 18 years old and
81 feet high, rather good looking, with
light, curly hair, blue eyes and light
moustache. When last seen he had on
a 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 bottom of the bill. Sacra.
mento, having glanced it through, looked
up.
"He's been stealin' horses" ex.
claimed Pete. "Got off last night with
four of Maxwell's best somewheres.
That reward won't, do much good,
though. The Regulators1l lasso him
and string him up long Tore the law'll
git started. They're havin' q meetin
now up at the Gulch. tell ye they
are mad. They'll make quick work 4
they ketch him. Yer fathers there.
Ye needn't look for him home afore
night, much."
Then, after word or two more, the
man rode on, and presently Sacramento
took up her pail, and with the sheriff
bill still in her hand went slowly up the
bank and across the trail toward the
house, thinking very seriously about
the $500 all the while.
1t was some hours after this, and the
afternoon sun was going down behind
the tops of the mountains, 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 hat was pulled
down over the faxen 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 owners name to be seen.
It 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 o lad, and had an
air of gentleness and good breeding
about him that six months of western
life, and the miserable plight he was in
at that moment had by no means de-
stroyed. He seemed to be short for
breath, too, and was trembling as If he
had been running
Instinctiyely he raised his hand TO-
ward his hat, and then, bethinking HIM
self, dropped it again. -
"Could ven give me something to eat
and drink ?" he asked, in hesitating
voice. Anything will do. I am very
hungry. II have had nothing to eat
since last night"
"Come in," said Sacramento, eravely.
In her voice there was neither kind
ness nor unkindness. she trying TO real
ize the situation she was in. "Come in
and sit down."
Then she went into the closet near
by and began taking down milk and
bread and meat, as she slowly did so
turning over the matter in her mind.
Here was this man who had been steal
ing horses and for whose capture $500
was offered, in her own kitchen. Ex-
actly the sum she had been wishing for
tho sum that would take her down To
San Francisco to school and help to
make . lady of herself. And this sum
may be hers If she could in some way
secure this stranger, or somehow keep
him in the house until help arrived.
Help? Why, she hardly needed help.
He was weak and exhausted, and in the
drawer of the kitchen table there was q
loaded revolver, which she we'll knew
how to use.
She came out presently and set the
things before him, bringing also tea
pot from the stove and pouring for him
o cup of ten. Then she went and sat
down by the window and watched him
furtively as he ate.
In spite of his caution. he had taken
off his hat while he was eating. She
could better see what he was like. It
was an almost boyish face, worn but not
wicked, with the curling hair lying in
damp clusters upon his pale brow. In
the hands, small and well shaped, and
in all his motions and manner, she felt
that she could read something of his
story. She had heard before this how
Young lads in the east. filed with ro-