Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-23
staggered back the from path, and threw
himself on his face among the graves in
the churchyard.

Nothing, Pablo?"
Nothing"
For three days Manuel and his friend
had followed the rocky sides of the noun
tain gorge, picks in hand, For three long
days they had found gold a score of times
only to see it turn into worthless quartz
beneath their blows, and the long-lost
mine was as far away as when they
started.
In silence they prepared their evening
meal. In silence they broke their bread
and ate, and in silence they laid them
selves down to sleep. There are times, my
son, when the heart is too heavy for
speech.
Another day of disappointment followed
by another, and so the week wore away. 1t
was the Monday after they had left the
house. One pocket alone remained un-
searched. 1t was high up in the gorge,
and Manuel had fastened his rope around
Pablo's waist and was lowering him over
the side of the steep rock. The rope was
strong and Pablo was light, but it is no
light task to lower man down aprecipice
when the slightest slip means death. So
Manuel thought, and at the thought of
death his brain reeled and his heart gave
bound that wrenched his breast. Were
the rope to slip-it would be such an easy
thing, it really would not be his fault
and were Pablo to die, who would know
how he died. With Pablo dead, he alone
would find the gold, and with Pablo dead,
Angela would be free. Who was Pablo?
This fair-haired boy, with hands like a
woman, and heart like babe. Bah
How he hated him
Hank Was that a cry? No it was
only the rope scraping on a rock. What
makes his hands so moist? 1t is hard to
hold slender rope with hands that are
wet. The rope slides quickly. 1t would
not take much to loosen his clasp. Shall
he let go? Who would know? What is
that? A cry and sudden pull. Great
God the rope has slipped A whirr in
the ears, a reeling in the brain, and sud-
den blackness.
How long Manuel was unconscious he
could not tell. When he awoke he found
himself at the brink of the rocks. What
was he doing there? At his feet lay the
end of a rope With shudder of horror
he closed his eyes. He knew it all row.
He had killed his friend. But where did
the body lie? Was it in a little heap at
the foot of the rocks, or had the rope
caught in the gorge, and was it hanging
there in mid-air swaying in the wind from
side to side like the man who was hanged
on the village plaza and left there as a
terror to evil-doers ? He dared not look.
He crawled slowly to the edge and was
about to look over, when with cry of
horror he shrank back and hid his eyes
with his hands. He saw Angela before
him-white-faced Angela, and heard her
ask him what he had done with Pablo
her Pablo-and his soul sickened within
him. He tried to pray, but he could not.
The words of Pablo Noster slipped from
his memory and only a sense of his own
unutterable misery remained in their
stead.
Finally he drew himself to the cliff and
forced himself to peer over the edge. The
rope stopped at the mouth of the pocket,
where it disappeared from sight. At the
foot of the crag there was nothing but the
stones his pick had turned up the day be-
fore. Where had the body fallen?
manuel Manuel p
Lie Sullll Audu Ills
stopped beating. Who was that?
manuel. Manuel" called the voice
again.
MANUEL Pull me up. Manuel, don't
you hear? There's no gold here" and
Pablo thrust his head out of the rock-side
cave and waved his hand
at was Pablo. Hal Hal Hal Pablo
safe. Pablo well. The rope had not
slipped after all. 1t was only dream.
Merciful Heavens only dream. He was
not murderer. Ha! Ha Haw
"Wait moment. PHI pull you up"
Quickly he gathered up the rope, and
swiftly and surely he pulled. The rope
frightened and fell coil by coil at his feet,
until Pablo's shoulders came in sight
Then catching him by the hands, Manuel
drew him to him, and gathering him in
his arms, he kissed him upon both cheeks,
and wept upon him, as a father upon a
long lost child come home.
1t would not be wise to waste more time
in this accursed gorge. They both agreed
to that the next morning when they awoke
The Indian had deceived them. There
was but one thing more to do. Up the
rocks two miles or more there was a cleft
that had not been carefully explored. One
of them should spend the day searching
for it, while the other waited below the
cave 1t was Manuel who went All that
weary day he CROPPED among the rocks and
piled his pick, until his broad back ached
and his arms were stiff and sore. All for
nothing. Rocks, and nothing but rocks.
Not even a trace of gold. At nightfall he
returned, sick at heart and despairing. As
he approached the camp he stopped and
listened for the sound of Pablo's voice or
the ring of his pick. He is resting, he
thought.
Yes, Pablo was resting Lying on his
back under the trees, he was doing. Man
uel came to his side and spoke to him.
81 found nothing, Pablo" he said.
Nothing, Manuel? Then let us go
home. I am so tired, and my head pains
me. My arms are racked with agony.
Let US go home tonight"
Manuel stopped and felt his head. His
brow was hot, and his eyes were bright
with fever.
'Not tonight, Pablo. Tomorrow we
will go home" and he stroked his head
and fetched him water from the spring.
During the night Pablo rapidly grew
worse. He rolled and tossed on his bed
of leaves, and called upon his father and
his mother, and mingled the name of
Angela with theirs. Then he fell asleep.
''Angela~
Manuel started from his sleep and list
ened.
angela, love, why don't you answer
me? Are you here?'
eyes, l am here, Pablo" answered Man
uel, softly.
"Take my hand in yours. There, I'm
so glad to be home once more. And !
won't have to go away again, viii 1, dear 2''
mo, Pablo"
"And the gold, Angela-the gold. More
of it than you ever saw before. Great
round nuggets, rich and pure. All yours
and mine and Manuel's. And we can be
married now, my Angela"
yves pablo -