The Republican., 1891-11-27

was lighted only by the cheerful blaze
of the cracking logs roaring up the
| huge throats of its dual freplaceS built
diagonally across opposite corners,
watching Maxwell, Kit Carson and
half dozen chiefs silently Interchange
| ideas in the wonderful sign language,
so perfect in its symbolism, until the
| glimmer of Aurora announced the adj
vent of another day. But not sound
had been uttered during the protracted
| hours save an occasional grunt Of sat
| isfaction on the part of the Indians,
or when we white men exchanged a
| sentence.
Frequently Maxwell and Carson
would play the game of ''sevcn-up" for
hours at time, seated at one of tho
| tables in that historic room. But Kit
cas- usually the victor, for he was the
greatest expert in that old and popular
| paStime | have ever met. Maxwell
was an invcterate gam bier, but not by
any means in professional sense; he
iudulged in the hazard of the cards
| simply for the amusement it afforded
him in his rough life of ease, and he
could very we'll afford the losses which
| the pleasure sometimes entailcd too.
His special penchant, however, was
| betting on horse race, and his own
stud comprised some of the tleetest ami
mails in the territory. Had he lived in
| England, a noblcman by birth-as he
was by nature-hc would have ruled
the derby and emulatcd the most recll-
| less and incautious turf madcap" at
| EPSON. But, TO employ a western slang
phrase, more Jobs" were put up" on
him by INSCRIPTIONS Jockeys, taking
advantage of his confiding and honest
nature, than could be recorded in
volume, by which he was outrageously
defrauded of immense sums.
He was fond of cards, as have in
| timated, both of the purely American
game of poker" and odd sledge," but
he rarely played except with personal
| friends and never without stakes lie
always eXacted the utmost nickel he
had won, though the next morning,
| perhaps, SO generous was he, would
present or loan his unsuccessful OPP
poncnt of the night before five hundred
or thousand dollars if he needed it,
an immensely greater sum, in all prob
ability, than had been gained in the
game.
The kitchen and dining rooms of his
princely establishment were detached
from the main residence; there was one
of the latter for the male portion of his
rctinue and guests of that sex, another
for the female, as, in accordance with
the severe and to us strange Mexican
etiquette, men rarely saw woman
| about the premises, though there We're
many. Only the quick rustic of a skirt,
hurried view of u rcb0s1 us its wcarcr,
evancscent as the lightning, flashed for
| an instant before some window or half
open door, told of their presence.
The greater portion of his table
service was solid silver, and at his hos
pitablc board there were rarely
any vacant chairs. Covers were laid
daily for about thirty persons, for he
was always full Of guests" invited
or forced upon him in consequence OF
his proverbial munifcence, or by the
peculiar location of his ''manor-ho house"
in its relations to travel.
| 1t stood upon a .nagnifccntly.sh shaded
| plateau ut the foot of mighty noun
talrs, a short distance frCn a ford"
on the Old Santa Fe trail. As there
were no bridges over the uncertain
streams of the Great Overland
Route" in those days, the ponderous
Concord coaches, with their ever full
burden of passengers, were frequently
water bound" and MaXwells the only
asylum from the storm and flood, con-
sequcntly he entertained many.
| At all times and in all seasons Max
wells vast assemblage of buildings,
houses, stables, mill, store and their
surrounding grounds were a constant
resort and loaiinT-place of the Indians.
From the superannuated chiefs, who
reveled lazily during the sunny hours in
the shady pcacefulness of the broad
porches; the young men of the tribe
who gaZcd with covetous eyes upon the
sleek skinned, bloodcd colts sporting in
the spacious corrals; the squaws, fas-
cinated by the gaudy calicos, bright
ribbons and glittering strings of beads
on the counters or shelves of the large
store, to the half-nalied, chubby little
papooses around the kitchen doors
waiting with expectant mouths for
some delicious morsel of refuse to be
thrown to them. all assumed in bear
ing and manner, 4 vested right of pro-
prietorship in their agreeable environ
ment.
1 To this motley group, always under
his feet" as it were, Maxwell was
ever passively gracious, although they
were Alttening in supreme idleness ON
his prodigal bounty from year to year!
His retinue Of servants, necessarily