The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-02
n..ao,ds and demanded to kno" II II was

q sRut she has Deen .H;rmat;v
or;cd. when answered In 1ne nnad the can.
on,y r nave waited nearly three years
Jam, ~ claim her. / can wait no ions.i.
TOT yn p,,+ ; urged Juan, 4 have almost Hno
~ hay e over $4,000. Give d h'''
sum. 80 aid + shall have it all,
more ~ sold the captain, frightened W
.,;.t how nearly his car'ess promise -
%n",,cht hin to serious trounle; h;s
wa;t any longer Juan turned mM"H sed"
face dark with rage. you ha's ia Inor
he exclaimed, turning back ~. Thursday
sand if l bring the SA'''o'
l s aI am afraid Isaid, when Reynolds eo,a
&c ;nteryiew. Juan has set ms nearU
me ~, and even il he don't go mad from
J AZ nnointment he may be desperate.
!" r l"nw was the answer; but once se0
Annie rried and away and VIII i''e '"'
rest ,;s task and in
the laws that followed, in his easet .1oa~
hardly ave himself time 20 eau naa pr
II could not be that he should con"e ~ "oht
~ nn;.e and miss ut last. The thougn'
m'odnh him feyerish, and haggard, ana WIG
n"ai. he hurried on and OH like a driVe"
spirit. ssoa with no
1t iHbe fortune that had attended
h;m h;+berto seemed to have forsaken MN
:, his grea test need. So near and YET 10
f,;I Monday night he could not sleep ior
the thought, the awful fear gna"ihg III ~
breast, and Wednesday morning as son n ct
the earliest light he was up and sui OH
At last, late in the afternoon, ne unu no
nectedly came on a coolspring rising among
the rocks. The saints had heard MS
nraver. The prize was won. There was
VET time. for he had kept within a circle OF
San Pablo, and straining his eyes he couio
dimIy see the tower Of the Old mission
church shining in the setting sun:
"The afternoon was fast waning, nut ne
threw himself down and took a long, deep
draught oil the limpid water that meant TO
HIM everything-Annie, bliss, his neares
desire. His heart swelled with exultatlon;
it was a moment OF triumph such as lew
can know. But the sun was sinking lower.
and was it his fancy ora horrible phan
tasm of over excited nerves, that the
stream was growing less.
"Rut bark! a peculiar sound filled the
valley. and echoed as far from the noun
tains. He sprang to his feet in alright.
The water was surely sinking in the spring.
and as the sun disappeared behind the
mountains, with a loud gurgle it was gone.
A loud knocking laugh rang in his ear; it
was old johanna Cooley standing a little
above him.. The little cabin by the dry
water course was a deserted ruin; broken
hearted Tim was in his grave, and she was
Il homeless stray drifted about from camp
to camp. Juan turned his dull eyes
toward her for a moment, and then with a
| despairing cry threw himself face down
wards in the still moist bed where so lately
the water mad been running.
"Brightly the stars came out M shone
down on that motionless form. 1t had
been a long and terrible strain, and now
that the tennison cord had SO suddenly
| snapped he lay with strength all gone,
| crushed with the numbness of utter misery.
Sharp pains racked his brain; liquid ire
| seemed creeping through his veins and a
| crowd of fantastic visions fitted before him.
| Gold was heaped around him; he was plung-
ing his arms in the glittering treasure;
| springs were gushing on every side, clear
| and limpid; Annie was standing by his side
| before the old high altar smirting up into
| his face as she had the brief moment he had
| held her with such rapture in his arms. But
the gold burned his hands and changed into
| a crowd OF hooking demons; the streams
were only tossing whisps of long white hair,
| and bctwixt him ana Annie there was ever
thrust another face, old and wrinklcd and
horrible with a jeering smile.
But the sky Redeemed in the East; OBJ.
| leCtS ttSdlH DtCdIlC tASlOlC, IL uAoLi
/ gilded the mountain tops and flooded the
lower hills and valleys. A mnrmur sounded
in his ears; something cool touched his
plrched and f~everish cheek. 1t was water;
water for his awful thirst. water to give
him, yes, his bride. But there was no time
to lose; he must hasten to claim her. He
strove to rise from his little pool-like de.
preston into which he had worked in his
restless tossing to find himself as though
chains had bound him to the ground. And
still the current of the stream was growing
stronger and the water was rising slowly
but steadily about him. Was there no.
body to help? Good God! He made an
other effort and fell back dizzy and faint
There was a momentary struggle and ther
the stream flowed over Il white. set face
and moved with gentle current the dark
hair that surrounded it.. And up the valley
came floating, faint and sweet, the music O
the old bells that had tolled the knell O
more than one OF Juan Monuelito's ances
tors as they rang out now the merry mar
riage peal for Annie Reynolds, the blitht
and happy bride.
"Oh. yes" continued my miner friend, 90
know that scientific gentleman have trict
to explain the phenomena of the Snndowl
Spring, but after all has been said l shall
always believe in my W mind that it wa
the curse OF the old woman, wrung from Lrl
by the stress OF bitter injury which calleC
down on Juan Manuelto the Vengeance 0
that God in whose keeping are the weak anl
oppressed.
The sun was nearing the western noun
tain summit; slowly the stream at our feet
grew less and less; a peculiar murmur flleG
the air around us, and as the sun sank out
OF sight, there was u low gurgle and thu
water ofthe Shutdown Spring had vanished