Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1891-07-02
SWEET JENNY RELENTED.
BY BRET tiARTE.


her fathers house, but the breath of it
was always strong at the windows and
doors in the early morning, and when
there were heavy "southwesters" blow
ing in the winter, the wind brought the
sharp sting of sand to her cheek, and
the rain an odd taste of salt to her lips.
On this particular December afternoon,
however, as she stood in the doorway,
it seemed to be particularly calm; the
southwest trades blew but family and
scarcely broke the crests of the long
Pacific swell that lazily rose and fell
on the beach, which only slanting
copse of scrub-oak and willow hid from
the cottage.
II wouldn't go far to-day, Jennie, !"
said her father, as the girl stepped from
the threshold. Il don't trust the
weather at this season-and besides,
you had better be looking over your
wardrobe for the party at Sol Catlin's. !"
"Why, father, you don't intend to go
to that man's?" said the girl looking up
with troubled face.
Lawyer Miller" as he was called by
his few neighbors, looked slightly en-
barrassed why not?" he asked, in a
family irritated tone.
"Why not? Why, father, you know
how vulgar and conceited he is-how
everybody here truckles to him."
"Very likely; he's very superior
man of his kinda kind they under
stand here, too-a great trapper, hunter
and pioneer"
"But / don't believe in his trapping,
hunting and pioneering" said the girl,
petulantly. Il believe it's all as hollow
and boisterous as himself. It's no more
real, or what one thinks it should be,
than he is. And he dares to patronize
you-you, father, an educated man and
gentleman!"
"Say rather an unsuccessful lawyer
who was fool enough to belive that buy
ing ranch could make him a farmer"
returned her father, but half jestingly.
Il only wish was as good at my trade
as he isl
But you never liked him-you al
ways used to ignore him; you've
changed, father" She stopped
suddenly, for her recollection of her
fathers quiet superiority and easy in
dependence when he first came there,
was in such marked contrast to his late
careless and weak accession to the rude
life around them, that she felt pang of
vague degradation, which she feared
her voice might betray.
every we'll Do as you like" he re-
piled with affected carelessness, %only
thought as we cannot afford to go else
where this Christmas, it might be we'll
for US to take what we could find here. 4"
"Take what we could find here" It
was so unlike him-he, who had always
been SO strong in preserving their little
domestic refinements in their rude sur
rounding that their poverty had never
seemed mean, nor their seclusion ip-
noble. She turned away to conceal her
indignant color. She could share the
household work with a squaw and
Chinaman. She could fetch wood and
water. Catlin had patronizingly seen
her doing it, but to dance to his vulgar
piping-never!
She was not long in reaching the
sands that now lay before her, warm,
sweet-scented from short beach grass,
stretching to dim, rocky promontory,
and absolutely untrod by any foot but
her own. It was this virginity of Sc
clusion that had been charming to her
girlhood; fenced in between the i'm
penetrable hedge of scrub-oaks on the
one side, and the lifting green walls of
breakers-tipped with cheveaux de frise
of white foam on the other, she had
known perfect security for her sports
and fancies that had captivated her
town bred instincts and native fastidious-
ness. A few white-winged sea-birds, as
proud, reserved. and maiden-like as her
self, had been her only companions.
And it was now the custodian of her
secret-a secret as innocent and child
like as her previous youthful fancies-
but still secret known only to herself.
One day she had come upon the rot
ting ribs of wreck on the beach. It's
distance from the tide line, it's position,
and its deep imbedding of sand, showed
that it was of ancient origin. An omni-
verous reader of all that pertained to
the history of California, Jenny had in
fancy often sailed the seas in one of
those mysterious treasure ships that had
skirted the coast in bygone days, and
she at once settled in her mind that her
discovery was none other than q cast
away Philippine galleon. Partly from
her reserve, and partly from sudden
conceived plan, she determined to keep
its existence as unknown to her father,
as careful inquiry on her part had found
it was equally unknown to the neigh
boFs. For this shy, imaginative young
girl Of 18 had convinced herself that it
might still contain a part of its old
treasure. She would dig for it herself
without telling anybody. If she failed
no one would know it; ii she were sue
cesSful she would surprise her father
and perhaps retrieve their fortune by
less vulgar means than their present
and the fact that she was known to
spend her leisure moments in wander
ing there, she could work without sus-
picion. Secretly conveying shovel
and few tools to the spot the next day,
she set about her prodigious task. AS
the upper works were gone, and the
galleon not large, in three weeks, work
ing an hour or two each day, she had
made deep excavation in the stern.
She had found many curious things
the fotsam and jetsam Of previous
storms but as yet, ID is perhaps need
less to say, not the treasure.
To-day she was filled with the vague
hope of making her discovery before
Christmas Day 10 have been able to
take her father something on that day
IF only q few old coins the fruit Of
her own unexpected labor and intuition
- not the result Of vulgar barter or