The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1886-01-20
"SANTA ANNA"

oniet now. as there was hardly q breath
wind stirring, and but never ceaslng TO
it, low murmuring-he almost fancied the
he could hear the whispering OF gentle Q
crets in the dark.
a. he stood there he saw flashing dow
the track upon which he was standing ~ ~
headlight Of an adva ncing locomotlVe-tn
larce RIazine eve of q modern d%ragon-an
ID Che engine steadily and grandly passe
bv he was reminded OF the stron
feure of the historian who said that a
one period the Romans looked upon elt
phants with such honor and dread tina
the idea of attacking or resisting thOs
huge. uncouth monsters seemed as terr1Di
as to modern soldiers would seem the lde'
OF resisting the power and strength OF IN
locomotive. :,
He turned and walked up the track. Il
the distance the chimneys OF an iron mil
shot columns OF fire into the air, Will
through various openings streams OF ligh
ever and anon flashed far out into tn
darkness. :.
He somehow fancied that a volcano il
action must look something like this, ant
as he came nearer he was not surprised tt
find Vulcan and his assistants at worl
amid the furnace fires.
But the reflection occurred to him h
while the activity OF q real volcano mean
destruction of homes and loss OF life, the
activity OF this volcano meant prosperity
and happiness, and that the more the
masses OF molten metal poured forth SO
much more were homes built up and lives
made more comfortable and cOntented.
He passed on and, turning down the
bank, stopped by a b%oat-house which, 1t
being September and slightly cool, was
now deserted and closed up.
H.. L. H. 1ona1u 100LSnn 10 10 a
feeling Of dependency and gloom, which
he had often of late experienced, came
over him with more than usual force.
Not that he could have given what might
seem to others a satisfactory reason for
being melancholy. 1t was not as ii he had
been called upon to decide the wOeful ques-
ton as to whether it was better to have
loved and lost than never to have loved at
all. He had loved. He had not lost. he
merely had not won.
He had known her for many years. They
were near %neighbors, and he, but a few years
her senior, had long watched with interest
her growing character and beauty.
Her expression had in it SO much OF gen.
tleuess that he had at one time almost
feared that as she became a woman she
would still be too much Of a child. But
this fear had been completely dispelled, for,
although gentleness and kindness remained,
they were admirably compounded with
strength OF character and sincerity and
earnestness OF purpose.
But it was not only this. Nor was it
merely that she was in every way beautiful
and attractive. There was something else
which had, more thar anything else,
aroused his admiration. This was a pecu-
liar, indescribable innocence in her look
not the innocence of a child, not that OF a
Tessa, ignorant and ~loving-but that OF a
woman, knowing OF the evil in the world
but perfectly pure in mind and heart.
Her name was Anna, but Santa Anna
was the ma me by which he always thought
OF her. although, to be sure, his idea was
that saints and angels are generally light
complexioned, while Anna was very dark.)
But while he looked on her as a saint he
knew that she was quite human as well.
He knew that she was pleasant and agree
able, fond OF society, witty and f%un-loving,
and that she was everywhere a favorite.
He hardly knew at What time it was that
his abstract admiration became something
far warmer, but since he had clearly become
awar OF the change, he had in various ways
tried to gain her favor. He felt, however,
that he was unsuccessful. He believed that
she must know what he thought OF her, but
he could not persuade himself that his feel
ings were at all re%ciprocated. Perhaps the
peculiar nature of his admiration made
him more liable to take a far from hopeful
view OF the matter; but, at any rate, he
had never dared to risk everything on an
avowal, and he felt Respondent and down.
hearted.
Merry laughter and conversation reused
him from his ~reverie, and he noticed that
several r~ow-boats, evidently from a boat
house nearer the center OF the city, were
approaching, filled with a merry party of
young people anxious to have some little
further boating before the actual setting in
Of cold weather.
They came quite near to where he sat in
the shadow OF the building, and he dis
tinctly heard some words from one OF the
party which reused him like a shock OF
electricity. As the boats rowed off he could
contain himself no longer, but actually
l%aughed-a hearty. Jolly laugh.
He turned to climb the bank, feeling him
self an entirely different MAI from the mel
ancholy being he had shortly before been.
But his elation was very unreasonable
more unreasonable than his previous de-
%spondency. But then. young men in his
position are expected to think and act I'M
reasonably.
What he had heard had made him come
to a sudden decision, and, repeating the
lines:
lie either fears his fate too much,
Or his deserts are small,
Who d6res not put 1t to the touch
To gain or lose it all.
He looked again at the lake before start
ing for home.
The noon just then came gloriously forth
from behind the clouds which had before
obscured it, and a ship, not far from shore,
which had before appeared but a dark, un-
distinguishable mass, was now in plain
view, its broad sails shining white under
the silvery rays OF the Sweet regent of the
sky"
Am l an Aegeus," he thought, 'and is
the changing OF the black to the white sail
q good omen?"
Some years previous he had come across
q motto do lido it at once!) which had
often struck him as we'll worth acting upon.
and, thinking OF this, the very next even.
ing found him at Santa Annals still in high
and confident spirits.
You remember, OF course" said he.
that when lvanhoe was wondering how to
break to Rowena the news of his intended
departure for France, Wanda said: Sup |
pose your honor says you are. going as |
your honor would say, Bo! to a goose
plump, short and to the point. Depend |
ont, her highness would bear the news like |
a Christian woman"
"Why, no." she replied, 81 confess that | |
cannot recall that passage in 'Ivanhoe "
at is not exactly in 'Ivanhoe,'"
he responded, smiling, "but in that re. |
markable continuation OF which one of
your favorite historians said, when it ap- |
peared that he doubted if everyone would
enjoy the humor as he did. But this is a
DEPRESSION. 1t merely occurred to me that
the general principle, as laid down by
Wanda, is a very good %one-only, l wish
to know, not If l may 90 away, but if l
may remain"
She looked at him wonderingly. "Ah! I
see that, OF course, you do not understand
me. will explain. You were out rowing
last evening. and, as your boat approached
the shore, happened to hear something
that you said"
"Well?" said she, with an amused ex-
preston.
"You were saying: Yes, it does seem
strange. for people are naturally expected
to be very familiar with it. Yet most
people seem to think that cleanliness is
next to godliness'' is in the Bible And |
have heard of a Sunday school superin-
tendent who believed that How doth the
little busy bee could be found there. l re-
member. too, reading of IL man who, CON-
ing to the residence OF his lady love, was
afraid to 20 in, but remembering that
beautiful verse OF proverbs, Faint heart
never won fair lady, he went in, presented
his suit, and was successful.
Your boat, which had stopped a fow
moments while your party were apparently
looking at the hoat-house where | sat, then