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

in lcath,rn hottlc slunG over tn" machllas
of his saddle Concho raised the bottle to
his lips, took long draught, made II wry
face, and calculated;
"Caraio,'
1t appeared that the bottle did not contain
aguardicnto, but had lately been filled iii
tavern near Tres Pinos by an lrishman who
sold bad American whisky under that pleas
ing Castilian title. Nevertheless, Concho hnd
already nearly cmptied the bottle, and 1t fell
back against the saddle rs yellow and ilaccid
as his own checks. Thus rc-cnforced, Concho
turned to look at the valley behind him, from
which he had climbed since noon. 1t was
sterile waste bordered here and there by ara
BILE fringcs and valdas of meadow land, but in
the main dusty, dry and forbiddimg. His eye
rested for n moment on IA low, white cloud
line on the eastern horizon, but 50 mocking
and unsubstantial that it seemed to come and
90 as he gazed Concho struck his forehead
and winkcd his hot eyelids Was it the Sierras
or the cursed American whisliyt
Again be recommended the ascent At times
the half-worn, half-invisibe trail became ut
terly lost in the bare black out-crop of the
ridge, but hi, sagaci6us mule soon found it
again, until. stepping upon loose bowlder,
she slipped and fell. In vain Concho tried to
lift her from out the ruin of camp kettles,
prospecting pans and picks; she renamed
quietly recumbent, occasionally raising her
head as if to contcmplatively glance over the
arid plain below Then he had recourse to
useless blows. Then he essayed profanity of
a secular kind, such ASSASSIN" "Thief,
Beast with pigs head, GOOD for the Bulls
Horns" but with no effect.
Then he had recourse to the curse ecclesias-
tic: All Judas Iscariot. is it thus. renegade
and traitor, thou leavcst me, thy master, a
league from camp and supper waitinGf Stealer
of the Sacrament, get up
Still no effect. Concho began to feel I'M
easy: never before had II mule of pious line
age failed to respond to this kind of exhorta-
ton. lie made one more desperate attempt:
"Ah. defiler of the altar. lie not there!
Look he threw his hand into the air, extend
inc the fingers suddenly. Behold, tiend!
exercise theel Ia! tremblest, Look but lit
tie now-sec Apostate I-I-excommun-
cate thce-Mua"
what are You kicking up such devil of
the rock, above.
Concho shuddered. Could it be that the
devil was really going to fly away with his
mule He dared not look up.
Come now" continued the voice, you just
let up ON that mule, you d Il old Greaser
Don't you see she's slipped her shoulder|
Alarmed as Concho at the information,
he could not help feeling to certain extent
relieved She was famed, but had not lost her
standing as n good Catholic.
He ventured to lift his eyes. y stranger
an Americana from his dress and accent
was descending the rocks toward him. He
was a slght-bult man with "A dark, smooth
face, that would have been quite common
place and inexpensive but for his left eye, in
which all that was villainous in him APP
parently conferred Shut that eye, and you
had the features and expression of an or
binary man; cover up those features, and the
eye shown out like Eblis' own. Nature had
apparently observed this too, and had, by II
paralysis Of the nerve, ironically dropped the
corner of the upper lid over it like curtain,
laughed at her handwork, and turned him
loose to prey upon the credulous world.
NV hat are you DONG mere. sad inc
stranger after he had assisted Concho in
bringing the mule to her feet, and Il helpless
halt
"Prospectng, Senior"
The stranger turned his respectable right
eye toward Concho, while his left looked
unutterahe scorn and wickedness over the
landscape.
prospecting what for"
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