Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-04-29
JUANA'S ORDEAL.

Jutnt Wdihtu SLOWLY uONn tine pain tnuJ
led from the kitchen door of the quaint
house to the more sequestered barn. From
here the path led on along the road, in and
out among apricot and fig trees, until it
stopped abruptly, as If quite worn out with
its exertions, on the outskirts of the ranch.
Juana paused a moment, then gathering
her skirts tightly in her left hand she be
gan TO climb the steep trail She took it
without languor or delay, her strong young
figure moving upward with scarcely a
pause for breath till she reached the top
Here an old fence bounded the hill pas
ture belonging to Juana's father She
flung herself lightly against the bars of the
gate to rest and TO gaze upon the scene
spread out below.
On the east the long dusty road was
fianked by ranches more or less cultivated.
Here and there symmetrical rows of beans
met the eye Olive trees mingled with
walnuts were scattered everywhere. Occa-
sionally red tiled adobe relieved the mo-
notony of open pasture lands and fields
dotted with oaks and yellow with the bios
SONS of the golden mustard.
From the foothills rose precipitstely the
purple mountains, whose crests are often
yelled with clouds of feathery mist. A fair
land, and dear to the rancher's daughter
from her babyhood-the place of her birth
and of her people before her. Yet to any
one else who had been there the most pict-
uresque thing would not have been the out
spread landscape, but the young Spanish
girl leaning on the worn gate to look at it,
She TUNED now, and began IA series Of
low, coaxing whistles, which presently
brought her favorite mustang, Pedro, to
the bars of the gate. The gate posts were
worn smooth by the rubbing of patient an
finals from the adjoining field, and had it
not been for the friendly hay rope about
their rickety tops Pedro would have surely
knocked them down as he stretched his
neck over the bars TO be caressed by his
mistress.
They were a pretty picture-the two.
The blue-black hair of the girl made more
vivid the ripe color in her olive tinted
cheeks. Her deep, lustrous eyes had in
them that half panied, half pathetic ex-
preston peculiar to the eyes Of the Span
ish girls Of the south. Yet Juana knew
little of sorrow. The old rancher's only
daughter, she had lived a petted life. She
was a simple hearted child, and whatever
capacity for endurance or courage lay with
in her it had never been tried.
After series of vigorous pats, bestowed
with many a cooling Spanish phrase Of en-.
dearment upon her iavorite, Juana pro
duced a rosy apple from her pocket, which
Pedro munched with evident satisfaction
She had not come to ask any service Of
him, only for a morning greeting, and
now, after a lingering farewell pat or two
she left the pretty mustang looking ovel
the gate after her, and turned to the steer
walk again.
She stepped carefully, for fear Of tread
ing too heavily on the crumbling, sun baked
adobe and getting "A tumble; her light feet
made hardly sound to be noticed among
the noises Of the country morning-Pedro'i
reluctant return from the gate to his graz
ing fellows, the other sounds from the pas
ture, the twittering Of birds, the chirpinl
of SQUIRRELS the thousandfold murmul
and breath Of the hour
Half way down, the light steps stoppec
suddenly, and the girl stood with startled
face, listening Only keen ear and Z
quick attention could have caught, above
all those other noises, that singular anC
unusual one for such "A place and time
the hiss of whispering voices. Pablo
her fathers name-that was the one wore
she had caught, and half in curiosity, hal
1etiF, Snt ltlb Hlt iIAHA hhON " W h'l
fathers whispered name should thus de
tach itself from the rustic Of leaves tC
strike her ear and call her attention TO tbs
otherwise indistingtlishable murmur goint
on in the little clump
She leaned silently forward on the edg'
OF the hazy screen of live oaks, every nerve
strained to catch the half whispered, hal
murmured words that rose from within
The screen, though il offered no percep
tible barrier to SQUAD, was quite dens'
enough to protect the girl from sight o
the men who stood close together behinc
it, looking for no one in her direction.
"Pablo"-her fathers name again. an'
now it came to her ear sharply, mingle'
with other words. "Stage" "coin"-"a ar
rest"-she caught; and then in an excite'
tone, which the Others immediatel
hushed, pistols"
She edged closer, listened more intensely
and her hearing seemed to become keener
She knew who the men were well enoug
ranch hands - Pablo's, halfbreeds,
yaRabond set, who would do anything 70
money. But they were puTposeless an
dull, incapable of organizing and carryin
out a plot to rob the stage OF tbemselves
And the holder rogue, who planned and in
spired the crimei The girl was left in n
doubt of that--her own fathers name wa
distinctly uttered, his directions repeated
That very night he and his confederate
were to lie in wait for the stage that LEI
Santa Barbara for Los Angeles at half pas
O'Clock.
Juana drew back, realizing that she IN US
slip away undetected, yet too startled an
Mortified to think OF anything else clesfll
She was overcome by the sheer sense OF be
fathers guilt. He was by no means an e.
emplary ranchman, Juana well knew. Bu
she had no mother and had depended sol
ly on him for care and tenderness, whic
he had given, at least in sufficient measui
to win the response Of cbild's simple an
uncriticising affection, and Juana was M
far enough from childhood to have change
much in her feelings. Nor was the code
her people so exactinR toward ordlnai
faults and i'll dongs of men that what ST
knew Of her fathers had affected her wit
ANY strong feeling Of shame, or given an
serious she ok to her regard for him.
But this was a different matter II
uuiet. honest ranchers Of Carpenteria wer
not of that class Of Mexicans in whom
robber excites as much admiration as cen
sure, nor we're these the times in who
the native Californian easily excused ROT
berry of the American intruder. Juana ha
been born and had grown up, PEACEFUL
and without thought Of hostility, undo
American laws. The plot stood out in II
reckless criminality, its shameless greco
before her ~ before an inpocantly bre
and honest natured ranch girl. AS sh
crept carefully away she WAS helplessi
overxubelrped by the knowledge Of his ui