The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-10-09
le machine Of steam, the mill, the furnace,

he aSuardiente. II is of tho Irish that tht
Americanos have great fcac 1t is of then
that the votes are made-that the presiden,
is chosen. 1t is of him that they make tn,
alcalde in San Francisco. And we are of the
Ichurch, like him
They said "Bueno" all together, and for the
moment appeared to be upheld by n religion.
cnthusiasm-a joint confession of faith that
meant death, destruction and possibly for
gerry, us against the men who thought other.
wise
This spiritual harmony did away with oil
practical consideration and doubt. II have a
little niece, said Victor, whose work with the
pen is marvellous. If one says to her, Car
men, copy mo this or the other One'-evcn il
! it be copper plate-look you it is done, and
you cannot know of which is the original
Madre de Dios the other day she makes me q
ruhric* Of the governor, Pic Pico, the same,
Identical Thou knowest her Miguel She
asked concerning thee yesterday
With the embarrassment of an underbred
man, Miguel tried to appear unconcerned,
but failed dismally. Indeyl, fear that the
black eyes Of Carmen had already done their
perfect and accepted work and had partly
induced the application for Nictor's aid. He,
however, disScmbled so far as to ask:
But win she not know"
"She is child"
"But will she not talk"
-Not if say nay, AMI if thou-oh, Miguclm
This bit Of llattcry (Which, by the way, was
q lie, fer Ni,tors niece did not incline favor
ably to MiguoD had It's effect. They shook
hands over the table. But, said Miguel
"whut is to be done must be- done now" AT
the moment" said Victor, "and thou shall see
it done La. Does it content thee. Then
Gomez
Miguel nodded to Manuel I'VE will re-
turn in an hour; wait thou here
They filed ont 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 unlucky Con
che.
"Thou hearest'' 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 a
complacent chuc!ile they passed unseen and
unheard until. abruptly turning a corner,
they stopped before IA low adobe house
1t had once been a somewhat prctentious
dwelling, but had evidently followed the for
tunes of its late owner, Don Juan Briones.
who had Offered it rs a last sop to the three
headed Cerberus that guarded the FL Refugio
PlutOnean treasures and who had swallowed
1t i'll a single gulp 1t was in very bad case
The burrows of it's red-tilcd roof looked as il
they were the results of age and ,lccrepitude
lis best room had musty smell; there was
the dampness of deliquescence il its slow de-
cay, but the Spanish Cailornians were sensi-
bic architects, and lis massive walls and par
titions detled 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 a pretty little way, with all the
vague lonGings of an artist, but without, l
fear, the artists steadfast soul. She recog-
niAed beauty and form as a child might, With
out understanding their meaning, and some
how failed TO make them even interpret her
womans moods. which surely were natures,
too. SO she painted everything with this in
nocent lust of tho cve-tiOwers, birds insects,
and tlgures-with Joyous fidelity,
but no part, uIai poetry. The birds never
sang 20 hcr but ono song, the flowers or trees
spake bur one language, and her skies never
frightened except in color. She came out
strong on the Catholic saints, ard would toss
you up a c!caNly-5havcu AloysiuS, sweetly
destitute OF expression, or a Gro, sical, lcthar
gic Madonna that you couldn't have told
from an oil master, so bad it was Her
faculty Of faithful reproduction even showed
itself ia fanciful lettering, and latterly III the
of fabrics and signatures Indeed,
with her eye for beauty of form, she had al
ways cxcclled in pcnmanship at the convent,
an accomplishment which the good sisters
held in great repute.
In person she was petite, with still I'M
formed girlish figure, perhaps little too fiat
across the back, and with possibly too great
tendency to a boyiSh stride in walking Her
brow, covered by blue-black hair, was low
and frank and honest; her eyes, n very dark
hazel, were not particularly large, but rather
heavily freighted in their melancholy lids
with sleepless passion; her nose was Of that I'M
important character which no man remem-
bers; her mouth was small and straight her
teeth white and regular The whole expression
Of her face was piquancy that might be sub
dued by tenderness or made malevoent by |
anger. At present it was a salad in which |
tho oil and vinegar We're deity combined |
The astutc feminine reader will of course I'M |
lcrstand that this is the ordinary superficial |
criticism, and at once make up her !
mind both as to the character of the young |
lady and the competency of the critic. | only |
know that rather liked her. And her func>
ions are somewhat important i'll this We
'acious history.
She looked up, started to her feet, leveled |
Ter black brows at the intruder, but, at a |
ign from her uncle, showed her white teeth |
md spake.
L. , ,l,n, |