Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-03-06

guide. rs he must have some definite des-
tination.
We went on in silence for nearly half
an hour. when as suddenly as he had ap.
peared he was gone. / looked around
for him. half afraid from his instant and
complete disappearance that ! had been
dreaming, when ! perceived that / was
close to a small, low builJing Of some
sort. / refined in ard shouted several
times. but not the slightest response
could / hear. and at last / rode boldly up
and tapped ON the wall with the butt Of
my riding whiD. Then. as this ELECTED
no sign Of life, ] concluded that / had
stumbled on some deserted house, or
that it was the abode of my eccentric
friend; SO dismounting and tying the
gray | resolved to spend the rest Of the
night under a roof or to find some good
reason for continuing my journey. ]
felt my way along the wall till 1 reached
"A door, and trying this and finding that
IL yielded to me l stepped inside, strik-
ing a match as I did SO. Fortunately /
carried my matches in an air tight case.
and as it was dry the one 1 struck gave
me a light at once. / found myself in q
large room. close to a fireplace, over
which a rude shelf was placed. and on
Jhis mantel l saw an oil lamp, to which
[ applied my match as l looked about me.
On the hearth was heaped a quantity
of ashes. and over these crouched a
child, a little girl Of 8 or 8. At the other
end Of the room, which was plainly and
%scantily furnished, lay a man across a
bed, and as l raised the lamp 1 saw that
he was the same 1 had been following.
but there was something in his attitude
and face that struck me as peculiar, and
l was about to go forward aud look at
him, when the child, who had at first
seemed dazed at the light, fairly threw
herself upon me.
"Have you anything for Nelly to eat?'
che said, and then began to cry "Oh.
Nelly so hungryl'
ran my hand into my pocket and
drew forth what had been a paper bag
of chocolate candy, but was now a pulpy
unappctiz.ng mass. must confess to a
childish fOndness for sweets, which |
usually carry in some form about me.
handed the remains of my days supply
to the child, and then walked over to
the bed. Yes, it was the same man, red
beard, rough clothes. but setting off the
magnificent frame to perfection; the
same man, but dead, long dead.
took his hand only to find it stiff and
cold, while his face had the dull gray as
pect never seen in the newly dead. AS
| stood gazing down on him a little
hand touched mine.
''Nelly so hungry said the child.
"Have you eaten all the candy?" |
asked her.
eyes, yesl But me hungry, for me
had no dinner, no brek6us, no supper,
and papa won't get up"
The hoBse, which consisted Of the
large room, a smaller kitchen and a
shed, where 1 found a quantity of hay
and fodder, seemed quite bare OF food,
but by dint of searching in the hay /
discovered a nest. which Nehy informed
me was there, and in it two fresh eggs.
These l ! boiled foe her. Whes she had
finished l soothed her to sieep on a bed ]
made for her before the Ere. Then after
4 h@u fus my hoAoS IA bA0 oAOd AoOliA anu
fed and watered him l performed as
well rs l could a service for the dead.
When day dnwned l was able to dis
Germ at some distance from the house a
line of telegraph poles, and taking the
child with me / followed these to the
nearest town, where l notified the au-
thorities Of the death.
The dead mans name was Frederick
Barnstaple. He was an Englishman, so
found, a recent arrival in those parts.
His daughter was restored to her family
across the water, and is now a pretty
girl of II. have never told this story
before, but l am ready to take an aft
davit to its truth. It all happened about
thirty miles from Dallas.