San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-01


greenish glass that touched ell objects
with its pervading hue She also found
that the close air above her head was con-
tinually freshened by the interchange of
current of lower temperature from below,
as If the whole vast field had circulation
of its own, and that the adobe beneath her
feet was gratefully cool to her tread. There
was no dust, as he had said; what had at
first half suffocated her seemed to be some
stimulating aroma of creation that filled
the narrow green aisles, and now impaired
a strange vigor and excitement to her as
she walked along. Meantime her guide
was not conversationally idle. Now, no
doubt she had never seen anything like
this before? 1t was the ordinary wheat,
only it was grown on adobe soil-the rich
est in the valley. These stalks, she could
see herself, were ten and twelve feet high.
That was the trouble, they all ran too
much to stalk, though the grain yield was
''suthen pow'ful." She could tell that to
her friends, for he reckoned she was the
only young lady that had ever walked I'M
der such a growth. Perhaps she was
new to Californy? He thought so from
the start. Well, this was Californy,
and this was not the least of the
ways it could clay over" every other
country on Gods yearth. Many folks
thought it was the gold and the climate;
but she could see for herself what it could
do with wheat. He wondered If her brother
had ever told her of it. Nor The stranger
wasn't her brother-nor cousin-nor COM
pany-no, only the hired driver from San
Jose hotel who was tallin' her over to Mai
h. l. h. IL
the ranch was pretty place, nigh onto
three miles further on. Now that he knew
the driver was no relation of hers, he didn't
mind telling her that the buggy was
rather old consarn" and the driver didn't
know his business. Yes, it might be fixed
up so as to take her over to the majors
There was one of their own men-a young
fellow-who could do anything that could
be done with wood and iron-a regular
genius-and he'd tackle it, 1t might take
an hour, but she'd find it quite cool wait
ing in the snanty. 1t was rough place,
for they only camped out there during the
season to look after the crop, and lived at
their own homes the rest of the time. Was
she going to stay long at the majors? He
noticed she had not brought her trunk
with her. Had she known the majors
wife long? Perhaps she thought of settling
in the neighborhood?
All this naive, good humored question
ing-so often cruelty misunderstood as
mere vulgar curiosity, but as often the
courteous instinct of simple, unaffected
people to entertain the stranger by invit-
ing him to talk of what concerns himself
rather than their ownselves-was never
theless. fear met only by monosyllables
from the young lady or an impatient ques-
ton in return. She scarcely raised her
eyes to the broad, jean shirted back that
preceded her through the grain until the
man abruptly ceased talking and his man
ner, without losing its half paternal cour-
tesy, became graver She was beginning
to be conscious of her incivility, and was
idly trying to think of something to say,
when he exclaimed, with slight air of re-
lief "Here we are" and the shanty sud
denly appeared before them.
It certainly was very rough-a mere
shell of implanted boards that scarcely
rose above the level of the surrounding
grain, and few yards distant was invisi-
bic. Its slightly sloping roof, already
warped and shrunken into long assures
that permitted glimpses of the steel blue
sky above, was evidently intended only as
a shelter from the cloudless sun in those
two months of rainless days and devices
nights when it was inhabited. Through
the open doors and windows she could see
a row of "bunks," or rude sleeping berths,
against the walls, furnished with coarse
mattresses and blankets. AS the young
girl halted, the man, with an instinct of
delicacy, hurried forward, entered the
shanty, and dragging a rude bench to the
doorway, placed it so that she could sit be-
meath the shade of the roof, yet with her
back to these domestic revelations. Two
or three men who had been apparently
lounging there rose quickly and unobtru-
sively withdrew. Her guide brought her a
tin cup of deliciously cool water, exchang-
ed few hurried words with his compan-
ions, and then disappeared with them,
leaving her alone.
Her first sense of relief from their COM
pany was, fear, stronger than any other
feeling After hurried glance around
the deserted apartment she arose, shook
out her dress and mantle, and then going
into the darkest corner supported herself
with one hand against the wall, while with
the other she drew off one by one her ship
pers from her slim, striped stockinged feet,
shook and blew out the dust that had pen
etrated within and put them on again.
Then perceiving a triangular fragment of
looking glass nailed against the wall she
settled the strings of her bonnet by the aid
of its reflection patted the fringe of brown
hair on her forehead with her separated
five fingers, as if playing an imaginary
tune on her brow, and came back with
abstraction to the doorway.
Everything was quiet and her seclusion
seemed unbroken smile played for an
instant in the soft shadows of her eyes and