The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-11-06

sold for nero pittancc by this little Lady,
whose pictures lately took the prize at q
foreign exhibition, shortly after she had been
half starved by California public, and
child of genius,
OF these struggles and triumphs Thatcher
had no knowledge; yet he was perhaps more
startled than he would own to himself when,
one December day, he received this dispatch:
@Come to Washington at once.-Carmen
! Do Haro"
"Carmen De Haro!' grieve to state that
such was the preoccupation OF this man,
elected by fate to be the hero Of the solitary
amatory episode Of this story, that for a
moment he could not recall her. When tho
honest little figure that had 30 manfully stood
up against him, and had proved her SEX by
afterwards running away from him, came
back at last to his memory, he was ut first
mystillcd and thcn self reproachfuL He had
been, he felt vaguely, untrue to himself He
had been remiss to the self confessed daughter
of his enemy. Yet why should she telegraph
TO him, and what was she doing in Washing
toni To all these speculations it is TO he said
TO his credit that he looked for no sentimental
or romantic answer. Royal Thatcher was
naturally modest and self -dcpreciating In his
relations to the other sex, as indeed most men
who are apt to be successful with women
generally are, despite vast degree OF super
animated bosh to the contrary. To the half
hn on ri II h
tlacity into submission there are sco-es who
are piqued by scf-rcspectful patience; and
where a woman has to do half the wOoing,
she generally makes pretty sure thing OF H.
In his bcwildermcnt Thatcher had over
looked letter lying on his table. 1t was
from his Washington lawyer. The conclud-
inr paragraph caught his cye-"IerhaIS it
would be well if you came here yourself.
Roscommon is here; and they say there Is
niece of Garcia's, lately appeared, who IL
likely to get up strong social sympathy Tor
the old Mexican. don't know that they expect
TO prove anything by her; but I'm told she Is
attractive and clever, and has enlisted tho
sympathies of the delegation" Thatcher lad
tho letter down little Indignantly. strong
men are quite as liable as weak women are
to sudden Inconsistencies on any question lhey
NAV have in common. What right had this
moor little bud he had cheriSheL-hc was quito
satisfied now that he had cherished her, ana
really had suffered from her absence what
RIGHT had she to suddenly blossom in the sun
shine of power to he, perhaps, plucKed ana
worn by one of his enemies. He did notaSr
with his lawyer that She was i'll any way con-
postei with his enemies, he trusted 70 her
masculine LOYALTY that far. But here was
something vaguely dangerous TO the feminine
mind-position, hattery, power tie was al
most as firmly satisfied now that he had been
wronged and neglected as he had oeeh posi-
tive n few moments before that no mad been
reniss in his attention. The irritation, al
though momentary, was enough to decide ths
strong man. He photographed TO San fran
cisco; and, having missed the steamer, Sc
cured an overland passage to washington
thought better of it, and partly changed MS
mind an hour after the ticket was purchased'
but. man!ike, once having made pracucai
step in a wrong direction, he kept on rather
than admit an lItoIieiStSutf ~ '
he was not entirely satisfied that his journey
was business one. The impulsive, weak lit-
t,e Mistress Carmen had prudently scored
one against the strong man.
Only a small part of the present sreao
transcontincntal railway at this time mad
been built, and was but piers at either eiid OF
q desolate and wild expanse rs yet unprloseh'
When the overland traveller left the Tail Ut
Reno, he lei. as it were, civilization with IL;
and until he reached the Nebraska fro''tFr,
the res, of his road was only the OLD enli1'ahu
,rol Travelled Ly coaches Of the Overland
company Excepting part of Devils Can
Won the way was unpicturesque and hat'
and the passage of the Rocky mountains, iaf
from suggesting the alleged poetry OF 'ha'
region. was only IA reminder or those s'erAie
distances of n level New England landscape
Tho tourney was II drcary monotony tha'
wac scarcely eulivene,l by its dlscOmlorts,
rever amounting TO actual accident Ut inc''
dent. but utterly destructive TO all nervous
tissue Insanity often suWrvened 'h Tie
third day out" said Hank Monk, orl'ei,
speaking casually but charitably oil 'lais
Il
ION the third day out, after axins no END
of questions aud getting no answers ne 'e"A
T., chewing straws that he picked outer
the cushion. and lussin' to hisself FROM
that very day knew it was all over WIN
him. and handed him over to his friends al
.Shy Ann strapped TO tho bnck seat ana
rovin' and cussin' at Ben Holiday, the gen
tIemsnly proprietor 1t is presumed that
the unfortunate tourists Indignation WAS eN-
cited ut the late Mr., benjamin Holiday, theh
fine proprietor o: the ine-an evidence oil his
insanity that nc one who kne" mat iarse'
hearted, fastidious and elegantly cultured
Californian. since allied to foreign nohitity'
will for Il moment doubt.
Mr., ROYAL Thatcher was too oil and expo
rienccd n nouataineer to do aught but accept
patiently and cynically his brother CalIior-
MANS method of increasing his profits. As Ii
was generally understood that any one who
cam. from California 10y that route had some
dark design, the victim received little sym
pa,hv. Thatchers equable temperament and
iudomitable will stood him in good stead, ana
hal,.J him checrsulIy in this emergency. tie