Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-18
HIDDEN TREASURE.
"A Bitter misunderstanding Turned
to Sweet Accord.

1t was many and many q year ago, on
a bright autumn morning, that the
story began which ended Just of late.
In the days when Los Angeles was still
n of the ''cow countless" noted for
grazing, and for little else-not even
climatc-two horses stood tcthered to
trees in front of the Lafayette Hotel.
Very picturesque was the old Lafayette
of those departed days; . long, low,
two-story building of darkcned brick,
with double wooden veranda across its
entire front. and old-fashioned double
leafed glass doors that opened there
upon. 1t sat well back from the street,
behind a row of immense pepper-trees:
and when, in the space between the
house and the street, political meetings
were held, the bellies and beaux of the
day poured into the ample balconies of
the Lafayette, sometimes to the discom-
fort and wrath of guests at the house.
1t was the year of q Presidential cam
paign, and the preceding night had seen
81 caucus here. The comparative
chances Of the candidates was the theme
OF their conversation, as two men came
from the hostelry, united their horses
from the trec-boxes, ana mounted.
They were both wcll-favored men, al
belt the worse for wear, apparently
from the vicissitudes of an arduous
journey.
81 move you, john" said one, as
they refined into the street, 81 move you
we go directly over to Chapel's, and
bank the coin before leaving. If we
find the bunch we want we can pay on
delivery here"
81 don't care to lay up my treasure in
banks, where thieves stand in and %stcal,n
said the other, cynically.
''What makes you so distrustful?" his
comrade rcjoined, laughing SD not
have been so anxious to hear the speech
iiication but for the convenience of be-
ing here in banking hours. You will
not find many straighter men than old
Chapel"
"Nor many trickier than his dandy
son. Chico Chapel must spend three
times his salary as cashier of the bank !;
he shall not pay for his follies from my
pocket. No, sir! Well cache the
money, as we agreed to do"
..Have your own way about it," said
Benjamin. Anyway ''bank of deposit or
bank of sand, it is all one to me. The
theme of my song at the present time is
CATTLE
Then the partners vecred off to the
subjects of brands and increase, as they
rode slowly through the narrow streets
OF Sonora" the Spanish quarter.
Here were the low, prison-like houses OF
the old Mexican town, with walls OF
bare adobe, or else of stucco tinted in
lively shades of pink, or blue, OF buff
here were the drinking-shops, each with
its surrounding Gordon OF horses, whose
riders-vaqueros, sheep-shearers, per-
haps horse-thievcs from the Trabuco-
were making merry within here was the
open, t~rccless plaza, where the marome,
qos plaved-nativc ropc-dancers and
trick-players; here the h%ard-bcaten
ground and great wooden screen, where
I'll dav long the players of pelola KEEP
their ball flying and bounding Ih'
cumbrous vehicles Of those days gay
no hint of the jingling horsc-cars tina
should traverse, in the near future, tina
narrow thoroughfare; in the clink c
metallic disks, flung by Mexican boy
playing cualyltos, or the outskirts OF tn
Vineyard, there was 10 forecast OF tn
beating hammers and the clank OF drlN
ing-wheels that their sons hear in tn;
seif-same spot to-day. Onward tt
travellers Jared, through the presel
blooming suburb of East Los Angcl
that was then but a sheep pasture, alon
the stony bed of Arroyo Seco, amid
clustering sycamores, and oven the u
lands beyond, all barren and untille
On. among the live-oaks and the cha
arral, until finally John Huntley Dire
his rein.
Here We are-here We'll cache O.
money"
So under a livc-oak the two d
mounted. 1t was 4 young tree, III
o a peculiar malfornaation, in
wise t be confused with those about
90 many PAGES to the north, so ma
s''ps thence at right angles to the ca
Z llt1ic Pit was scooped in the dl
GRUMPY soil, and u buckskin bag W
uhslung from the saddlc-horn and
E4l'rnH thnra Tl.> o..A, ,,,l rra,