Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-06-15
CARMA.
A Story From Real Life on the
 Frontier
Written for THE ENTERPRIsE.)


 Under the cloudless ininity of a New Mexican sky and flanked by bare ribbed range of hills called La Sierra Benado, is wide drab tinted plain named La Plaza. Drab is the normal tint of this wide reaching val ley, but at times when the cloud-mass es roll up from the south and weep over its arid lonesomeness, it turns vivid green in gratitude therefor.
 In wide, shallow arroyo, whose source is in the fanking hills and which eventually loses its identity in the scarcely perceptible hollow of the plain, there nestles beneath the em- bracing limbs of cottonwood trees the little village of Alamo Seco.
 The excuse for its existence is to be found in the veins of precious metal that seam the rugged slopes of La Sierra Benado.
 Here community had gathered al- ternately engaged in mining and in agriculture.
 Away up at the foot of the hills in a wild gorge was swirling, tumbling mountain stream, hurrying on to bury itself in the silt of the valley and hide itself from the relentless glare of the scorching sun. But its hurry was in vain, for at the mouth of the gorge an impediment in the shape of a dam had been placed, and from that point it was compelled to glide with sullen reluctance along the windings of a muddy ditch, and at length spread it. self faint and languidly over the fields and orchards of the land owners of Alamo Seco.
 But American capital had gained foothold in La Sierra Benado, with it's accompanying rush and hustle, and the natives had thrown up their hands aghast at the astonishing ingenuity and enterprise of the new corners, and the fires of their little adobe smelters had died out from very shame of their own insignifcance.
 Sitting on a granite block on the slope of the mountains, your eye could take in at a single sweep the whole extent of the valley, and at times you could see crawling over it, apparently very slowly, long, dark monster, and should you choose to change your TO- mantle for a practical mood, you will arrive at the conclusion that it is sim ply train of cars moving over the ito you-invisible track.
 Alamo Seco not lying in the line of their survey, the railroad owners had simply ignored it and gone right along though they had erected depot at a point nearest it, to handle freight and passengers, should there be any, and sfpnasd thesfdepet spEang ap the nrs- number of passengers haze aiighted, one Of the group in particular He is is a young man. probably twenty-three years of age, with hair very dark yet with suggestion of chestnut in it. His complexion is clear and his eyes brown, with reddish glint in them that reminds one of the red inner light to be seen in the brown streak of piece of polished obsidian. A dark mustache shades a good humored mouth, and the observer must come to the conclusion that he is both healthy and handsome.
 He looks around, with valise in hand, as though expecting some one, and immediately his eye falls on figure beckoning to him from the seat of q light blackboard. A pleased smile oi recognition fits over the young mans face, and stepping over to the buck board he greets the occupant warmly seats himself beside him, and they drive off in the direction of the hills.
 "Well, how did you enjoy your trip down?o asked the elder of the two men, who was dark, stout, and forty and had an air of self-satisfied cyni ism about him.
 "Oh, pretty well," answered the younger.
 "Make mash on anything?"
 Cant say that l did"
 "Well," went on the questioner bend ing over and producing a flask from 2 receptacle beneath the seat, "let's take a nip; and after that you can nibble { lunch or smoke good cigar, just as your fancy pleases. You'll have { soft job up here-and by the way there's the loveliest little senorita oI the road here before we get up tC camp you ever laid your eyes on. tried to make love to her, but 1t wa no go; guess Pm too old. But you'll be all right if you work the racket ar tistically," and here he gave the youn, man dig in the ribs, and with on, eye closed smiled on him in know ing way.
 Two hours of as rapid driving as tn nature of the ascent would allow brought them to the mouth of can yon at the foot of the mountains and embowered in grove of sycamore ant ash trees, was a low adobe house SUI rounded by neat fence.
 "Here's where the angel dwells." re marked the elder; "the old man ped dies milk and fruit and truck up a camp. We'll let the horses drink wa ter and take rest, and we'll rest am drink milk" They were welcomed il broken English by thin, dark mar who had q thin, aquiline nose, blac beard, and big, dark, expressive, lum nous eyes.
 "That man doesn't look like a Mex ican." remarked the younge: whe the host had left them seated on tn cool veranda.
 "No, his complexion is too clear,
 think he must be an Italian or
 Spaniard."
 "I don't see the senorita around" "Oh, she'll bring the milk to us. And presently she appeared, an
 her beauty was certainly deserving ( all praise She was 1.-the and rounded
 her every movement full of undula
 ing, facile grace - instinctive-nt
 studied. The cool clearness of he complexion was warmed by the fail