The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-02-05

birds, he liked the squirrels; the trees.
But it was clear he did not like people,
else he had lifted up his head from the
curious lines on the crImpled andpot very
clean paper before HIM.
at sayi did you come here to try to
get our:land, or our. houses2"'. 80!
There was a sting in the words, but not
in the voice, hard as the girl tried to make
it. The man looked up, quietly, calmly.
Then he slowly rose, lifted his .slouched
hat and taking, up thes only stool the.
place afforded, stepped forward and set
it before her; smiling pleasantly, half
sadly, as he did so.
The color came and went in her face.
Her pretty dimpled hands forgot the sides
of the open, door. They clasped each
other for a second; and then the right one
sought the region of her heart, as if to
still its too tremulOus beating.
ell beg your pardon-I-tbeg your
PARDON sir." r
There was melody in her voice, and her
beautiful confusion was SO honest and so
honest and so true that the young artist,
engineer, adventurer, poet-f you please,
all in e-w vanquished instantly.
"The fact is" the girl began hastily,
"my father-thats his house over yonder
by Redwood Park-you can see Mount
Diablo from our dooraIny father is away
from home now, gone to the Islands for
sea birds eggs-youhcan see the Islands
out this way through the Golden Gate. l
go with him after to-day. Sister went
with him to-day-Well, / was going to say
that nobody must come to this cabin and,
and I came to tell you-to tell you that
that" 49,.
He had lifted his eyes to hers slowly,
modestly, very respectfully. That was all
he did as they stood there in the door,
way with. the one little stool limping and
leaning on its three queer legs between
them. ~ ''~
"I found the door open, he began
quietly; "squirrels were here, coming and
, going by dozens. Look there. They
have been hulling hazeInuts on the hearth
stone"
He turned half way around, pointed to
the little grown heap of bulls on the
~hearthstone, and then glanced u~neasily at
his miserable little store of provisions and
equipments on the shelf in the corner.
eyes, yes; oh, we can't get rid of the
squirrels. They eat up everything. Yes,
they are neat housekeepers. They do put
the hulls of the hazelnuts in a neat heap,
but they ar" no good for all that; they
eat up the wheat, the corn, the everything;
and we CAM get rid of them"
"And so, as you can't get rid of a
little brown California squirrel, you think
you can get rid of a big Italian artist"
The man had crossed his arms on his
breast before her, frowned in mock sever
ity, and set his right foot down heavily on
the hard-trodden earth floor as he spoke.
His ease, and his audacity, too, pleased
her, and she took the little bench at his
feet, and sat down, throwing back her
heavy hair as she did so.
"Now tell me what harm l am doing
here, or am likely to do, and If you can
make out a case, / will move out my
rations of dried beef and crackers and
camp under a redwood tree 81.
The girl rose quickly, and, going to the
wall opposite, put her hand and strong,
shapely arm through a long, narrow hole
between two tight-ftting logs. Stepping
to the rear of the cabin, she did the same
thing. Then she thrust her hand through
similar places by the sides of the one door,
and said hastily:
HPort holes"
Putting her pretty forefnger on a small,
deep indenture in the end of a log by the
door, she said with excitement:
"Bullet holes ,
sand you did it shooting at artists p
AWhy, where did you come from?"
faRome."
aRome? Rome? what county is that
in p
ST don't quite know what county it is;
but.it is in Italy"
WAnd where is Italy? ?"
II see by the little cross on your neck
that you are. a Catholic; well, Italy, Rome,
is where the Pope lives; and l am a poor
painter-nothing worse-possibly nothing
better"
The girl grew suddenly serious and re-
spectful. "And so you don't know that
this is an old battle-ground here; that
three men weFe}kiHed in this cabin and
that the place is haunted"
The man sighed aud looked away, as if
he had some memories of battle as well as
the half wild girl before him, and slowly
said, as if to himself:
81 am glad it is haunted, for I would
like to be alone here"
"Alone with ghosts p laughed the girl
every much alone are we when we
nave only ghosts for company" sighed
the man. "But tell me who the poor fel.
lows were who fell here fighting for their
cabin"
"Jumpers! That's what they were.
Jumpers that tried to- Jump my fathers
land; and he jumped 'em off"
She bit her lips; battle and memory OF
battle was in her eyes and voice and acton.
How beautiful she was! a thunder storm
with lighting in its eyes could not have
been more splendid.