Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-11-19

Victor-But who is he-not to steal!
Miguel-lIc is that man of Ireland good
Catholic, at Tres Iinos.
Victor and Manuel (omhe, --Roscomiron
Miguel-Of the same. We shall give him
a share for the provisions, for tho tools for
the aguardicntc. 1t is of the Irish that the
Amcricanos have great fear. 1t is of them
/ that tho votes are madc-that tho president
is chosen. 1t is Of him that they make the
alcal,lo in san Francisco And wo are Of the
church, like him.
Thy said "Bucnon all together, and for the
moment appeared to be upheld by "A religious
enthusasm-a joint confession of faith that
meant death, destruction and possibly for
, gerry, rs against the mon who thought other
wise.
I This spiritual harmony did away with all
practical consideration and doubt. 81 have a
little niece, sad ,otor, "whooc worl, with the
pen is marvellous. If one says to her, Car
men, copy me this or the other ono'-evcn if
it be copper platc-look you it is done, and
you cannot know of which is the original.
! Madre dc Dos the other day ne makes me n
rubricf of tho governor, Pic Pro, the same,
identical. thou knowc,t her Migucl She
asked con"c''''r thee y.st r!ay."
With the embarrassment Of an underbrol
man, Nj tod to appear ':rc nccrnci,
! but failed dsmally Indeed ! fear that the
black eyes of Carmen had already done their
perfect and accepted work, and had partly
induced the application for Vctor's aid. He,
however, dis,embled so far as to ask;
But will She not know"
"She is a child"
"But will she not talk
Mot if | say nay, anl if thou--eh, Miguelr
This bit of fiattery (Which, by the way, was
q lie, for Nictors niece lid not incline favor
ably to MiguoD had its effect. They shook
hands over the table. But said Miguel,
| what is TO be done must be done now" "At
the moment" said Victor, and thou shall see
it done. Ehl Does it content thee1 Then
Gomez
Miguel nodded to Manuel "Wo will re-
turn in an hour; wait thou here"
They filed out into the dark, irregular street
| Fate led them to pass the office of Dr. Guild
at the moment that Concho mounted his
| horse. The shadows concealed them from
| their rival but they overheard the last in
! functions of the president to the unucky Con-
| cho.
"Thou hearest'7 said Miguel, clutching his
companions arm
YES, said Victor. But let him ride, my
friend. in one hour we shall have that that
shall arrive years before him. and with q
complacent chucl;le they passed unseen and
unhcard until, abruptly turning corner,
they stopped before a low adobe house
1t had once been a somewhat pretentious
! dwelling, but had evidently followed the for
tunes of its late owner, Don Juan Briones,
who had offered it as a last SOD to the three
! headed Cerbcru, that guarded the FL Refugio
Plutoncan treasures, and who had swallowed
it in a single gulp. 1t was in very bad case
| The burrows of its redtilcd roof looked as if
they We're the results of age and decrepitude
! Its best room had musty SMELL there was
the dampncss of deliquescence in its slow de-
cay, but the Spanish Californians were scnsi-
| bic architects, and its massive walls and par
! titiOns deiied the earthquake thrill and all
the year round kept an even temperature
within.
Victor led Miguel through low ante room
into plainly furnished chamber, where Car
men sat painting.
Now Mistress Carmen was a bit of a
painter, in pretty little way, with all the
vague longinSs of an artist, but without, l
fear the artists steadfast soul She recog-
nized beauty and form as a child might, with
out understanding their meaning, and some
how failed to make them even interpret her
woman'S moods, which surely were natures,
] Ia Cl1 :, -
noccnt lust Of the eye-nowers, birds insects,
landscapes and flSures-with joyous fidelity,
but no parti ular poetry Tho birds never
/ sang to Der but one song, the flowers or trees
spako but one language, and her skies never
Frightened except in color. She came out
strong on tho Catholic saints, and would toss
You up cleanly-ahaven Aloysiu5, swcctly
destitute of expression, or n dropsical lethar-
sic Madonna that You couldn't have told
from an old master so bad it was. Her
faculty Of faithful reproduction even showed
itself in lancilul lettering and lattelly in the
imitation Of fabrics and signatures. Indeed,
with her CyC for beauty Of form, she had al
ways exccl.cd i'll ponmanship at tho convent,
an accomplishment which the good sisters
held in great reputc.
! In person She was petite, with Il still UNI
formed Giriish figure, perhap, IL little too flat
across the back, and with possibly too great
tendency to Il boyi-h stride in walking. Her
brow, covered by bluc-black hair, was low
ana frank and honest her Dyes, very dar,
hazel, were not particularly large, but rather
heavily frcighted in their melancholy lids
with alecpleas passion; her nose was of that I'M
important character which no man rcmem-
bers; her mouth was small and straight; her
teeth white and regular Tho whole expression
of her face was piQuancy that might bo sub
ducd by tenderness or made malovoent by
anger. At present it was u salad in which
the oil and vinegar wero deity combined
Tho astute feminine reader will of course un
derstand that this is tho ordinary superficial
masculine criticism, and ut once make up her
mind both as to the character of the young
lady and the competency of the critic, | only
i.noW that rather liked her And her fuuC.