Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-04-30

the western Mlll'NN ~ 'HN
hall which echoed the solemn chant,
or tn. voices raised in prayer, there Is
only "A silence. uubrukcu save a. "a
niece Of the wall cruubles and falls TO
the earth. II &, dcathly now AT the old
mission. The wind sighs through d
dead erassc, a, the work of destruction
zoe, on. giving earth back to earth.
San Juan tells the boy about the
days when he was there working up
and down the valley for the padres,
and going 20 the mission at night.
From rhe window in his low. bare room
he used TO look down the valley, all
smiling with the river and gardens and
olive orchards. and see at the end a
narrow strip Of the ocean. san Juan
zosed his eyes. Clear and plain was
the picture to his fading sight tonight;
the sun a. it went down made the sea
look like a tongue Of fire, and il col
ored the valley pink, and changed the
mountains from pink 20 blue II soft
| purple.
The old mar opened his eyes, and
raising himself on his elbow, more now
20 himself than to any one else, told
how the bells calling To maths would
awaken him, and when he went out %
work the whole world seemed full OF
nsare But once-San Juan shook his
head a. he told the had 20 take
some sheep over the hills 70 keep for
the day. and when he came home that
night there were six missing The
nadr,< were much disturbed and very
angry. and they shut him up In the
mission prison. where you a still SO
the iron har az the windows. They
kept him there for ten days, and yet
san Juan could tell nothing OF the
sheep. He confessed 20 having slept nj
noon undera live oak. but the sheep
were never found. and many weeks Of
penaucc did hardly atone for his great
neglect.
San Juan would ike e. creep back
TO the old wall. uur, more and kneeI
bv the western windows, but lac never
could 20, and he sighed
I Il was hard tp talk now. He almost
p WHISPERED a. he told Antonio 20 b
; good 10 la and the children and stoT
{ gambling There were NO padres no"
2 10 watch him. no mission wher" IN
could 70 and pray. and temptation wa
4 great. but he would ruin his soul ans
q XIII lisa. and make bad men out OF Tn
a children il Ne did not stop going dow
10 Moreno Antonio bowed his hea'
n ON his hand, and did not speak. Shi
- .Tuan had talked 10 him like this b.
y fore. d,
The old man slowly raised himself
and beckoning to lisa TO give him
blanket, crept through the narro'
doorway into the other Of tn
r. house.
% That was all. The next morning the
found him holding the crucifiN in IA
,r hands. but he neither spoke nor stirred
a San Juan was dead. and the whol
10 village was in mourning. The wome
le walled and cried, and the men did No
n 90 10 Morpno's. but stayed at hon
"a with the women.
N For three DAYS the dead San Jua
Law wrapped in his blankets oatsic
al Isa's hou~e. and then they buried hil
er over ON the hill where he had live
er when the beautiful Spanish bayon'
lis lifted it, white head 70 the sun.
Isa went home, unfastened the bAf
VI shawl hat framed her dark, sad fac
nc with the large eyes, and put it away
NC the box where she kept the earrin
is and the beads that Antonio had giv'
her when they were married five yea
, before. Antonio was good 20 h
:, then.
She cooked the supper, and stePP
outside the door 10 call little San Ju
and Pedro. She saw Antonio goi
around the house 10 the corral, and :
waited patiently for him to come
At length she followed him, and !
nc the children eating their supper on I
bench by the little window.
Of Isa stopped, caught her breath a
an then walked with quick steps towi
"a the corral. where Antonio was fast
fire ing a cord around a sleeps neck.
,b+ Too well Isa knew what it all inca
and she caught Antonio by the a
Tres and begged.
ooh. not tonight, not tonight \
r,s the last sheep but one! Antonio, ST
uis " YOU will not take that down
MorenO's!'
He shook her roughly of. "Beca
! II that old San Juan died in your lac
rom you are coward = i,
Isa for ali lac said, who thought himself
and good as the priestl You women IN
a fool Of him"
ont go, no. Antonior' Isa's eyes '
y at full of tears. But see, walt stay
dest me now. And you will lose all, ev
old thing at Morenos' nc theh you TIC
home and strike me and CURSE
then She had put her arms about his !
A. the and hung there. looking at him