The record-union., 1891-06-27
THE TRAGEDY OF AUBURN RAVINE.
Written for the RECoRD-UNIoN by Barbara
Mckay Everham.

a mining scheme. One was Spaniard OF
about 35, the other a white-haired old
man, Judge Cross, who is now speaking:
"Clark will represent me in this affair.
/ do not care to have my name appear"
81 will not do business with Clark.
do not like him.''
THAT is pity, Andres. Clark is my
confidential man of business, and with
out his assistance L cannot go into this
! scheme"
The Spaniard rose as if to go, when his
attention was arrested by quick, light
step, and in a moment the Judges
daughter, beautiful girl of Is, passed the
window and entered the house by side
door.
"You intend Clark for your daugh-
ter, Judge CROSSE" asked the Spaniard
fiercely.
If the Judge was annoyed by this ques-
ton his face did not betray the feeling, as
he replied
CLARK is poor. I shall never marry
my daughter to poor man."
| But he Will make money in this mine
it will make him rich.''
mo. Clark puts nothing into the
mine. He merely draws salary from
me. You and l will make the money,
| Andres.''
The Spaniard hesitated a moment; then
seated himself, saying: Il will accept
your proposition"
Il am very glad" said the old man.
with your experience, Clark'S clear
sightedness, and my money, it is sure to
succeed. Come to my office no. Come
here tomorrow evening at T. We three
can arrange everything then, and we
shall soon have our men at work"
The Spaniard left with smile, which
changed to a Scowl, as he met Clark at the
gate. And thus the threads in the web OF
Nellie's life began to tangle and the pat
| tern became involved.
Andres, or Jesus Andris Ramon, as his
full name read, came the following even
ing and the next, and many more Of the
long, summer evenings found him at the
Judges, and soon it became the custom
for him to join the little group on the long
porch and partake of the fruit which
Nellie lthe Judges daughter) passed SO
Hospitality.
Nellie, with her sunny temper and
golden and laughing face, had been
dubbed Sunshine" by an enthusiastic
school friend. and now answered to that
name as readily as to her own. She was
q yeritable sunbeam to her fond father,
who did not realize that his little girl was
almost woman grown, and that she al
ready played leading part in the tancies
of the two men who came Oftenest 10 the
house-GeOrge Clark and the Spaniard,
| Andres.
At first Nellie stood somewhat in awe
OF the nerce-lOoking Spaniard. As a
child she had listened, with bated breath,
to the stories of the Spanish who lived on
the skirts of the village; her childish
Imagination had invested them with a
mystery and terror which were purely
fictitious. She outgrew this fear as the
years passed, and time proved them to be
/ c1t ha- l,f,
lessened till there Were not over half a
dozen left, and most Of those We're too old
or shiftleSS TO move. This Andres, how
ever, held himself aloof from his country
men, lived by himself in d little adobe
hut, and had, or appeared to have, no
business save that OF guarding his mine
which he was too poor to work. The
name he bore was a sort of TeprOach
among some of the more piOus minded.
as if he committed saCrilege in bearing it.
He was tall and finely built, but his ex-
preston was so fierce and his habits so
reciusive that few approached him in a
friendly way.
Nellie at first shrank at his piercing
glance and strange manner, till, at her
fathers suggestion that she might hurt
his feelings, she softened and made little
friendly advances which soon put him in
a more social standing, and ere long she
became quite as interested in his stories,
Mr.. Clark, her old-time friend and COM
rade. She had known George Clark since
she was so small that he could toss her up
''to touch the ceiling"
For George Clark the Spaniard enter
tanned no friendly feelings, perhaps be-
cause the old Judge loved and trusted
him so WELL and he never talked much
before him. In fact, he was talkatiye
only when it CHANGED that Nellie or she
and her father alone were present. Then
! Nellie drew him on from one story to
another OF early days in California. The
Judge was always so much interested in
this subject that he scarcely noticed the
fact that Andres always addressed Nellie.
Sometimes the mother came out for an
hour, but not often, for she was a true
Martha, and there were little folks to
claim her attention.
Thus three years passed. The mine
| houriShed. Judge Cross grew rich; so,
also, did Andres. And this summer, as
in the three preceding summers, the same
little group gathered on the long vine
shaded porch. The Judge was little
grayer. The two younger men were APP
parently unchanged, save, perhaps, that
| George seemed tritie more quiet and
Andres had lost little Of the tierceness
from his face.
But Nellie, the pretty girl, had bloomed
into a beautiful young woman. Such
masses of waVy, golden hair, such rich
changing color, such expressive eyes,
could not be found elsewhere in the
village.
One evening Andres had been more
than commonly genial. He had been
telling of a skirmish on his fathers
ranchero, in Southern California. in the
times when the ranches were described
i'll the old deed books as bounded on the
east by the mountains, on the west by the
sea, and said to contain'' many leagues
of land. He seldom spoke of his own
family in telling his stories, but tonight
he spoke much of his early life, and
| when George came in he found Nellie
and her father deeply interested in the
narrative.
The Spaniard ceased soon after Georges
advent, and the younger man exclaiming,
you have become quite an Othello, An
dres!' brushed past and seated himself
near Nellie, who smiled brightly at him
and then subsided into reverie. Silence
fell on the little group. This was moth
ing uncommon, since they were too well
accustomed to one another to feel any ne
cessity for entertainment Soon George
sprang up exclaiming, restlessly:
| Nellie, come down to the orchard.
There are number Of ripe apples on the
old ruSset tree.'
Nellie rose, and, together, they walked
away.
asked Andres, abruptly.
He was a Moor who went wooing a
lady Of another race, and so entertained
her by telling of his wonderful exploits
that she fell in love and he won her
won her, Andres, from dozen dandies-
men Of her own race-who sued for her.
But how is this? Are you going? Won't
you wait for the young people to come
with some fruit? No? Good night,
then"
1.-THE young people, having reached