Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-06-30

oOeu III d WiO Sdlop dLloIlS eue 1OoS-
hills. She became coquettish with
regard to her appearance. When she
could coax dollar out OF her father,
she would gallop off to San Diego to
buy some trifle for the adornment OF
her pretty little person. Ii, by my
manner, she fancied approved the
new addition, she wore it till she
could replace it with something else;
but, if failed to notice it, or she
thought it was not to my taste, she
would fling it away before it was
day old. She abandoned herself
to the enjoyment of the new life that
came to her. and for some time she
seemed neither to remember the past
not think OF the future.
Under these conditions, all trace OF
illness disappeared, and with health
returned something OF her old mutin-
Gus independence; paternal authority
once more sank into insignihcance.
Brace quickly found occupation,
and, after time, rendered me invalu-
able assistance in the management OF
the business. One day. as we were re-
turning from the packing sheds, he
said:
''I've looked round this consarn
pretty careful, and l see, sir, that
you're goin' to do a great big thing
here. You've found out Jest where
the real grit O. this country lays. and
you're goin' to work it up into
an almighty pile. That's what your
goin' to do, and I'm everlastin' glad of
it, for more reasons than one. And
one reason is this,-rm gettin more
duberous every day whether we shall
ever get the Great Hesper. For,
Justly, when the frost breaks up,
the great hole where the gel hes hid the
stone, may be swep out as clean as
gun baril by the torrent of melted
snow, or it may be blocked up for
everlastin' by the mast OF rock that
comes rollin' downfrom the mountain
sides every spring; and. secondly the
Kid may change her mind. She may
back out OF the promise she gave us
when she was sick. Rec'lect her
mother were sreaser, and CONSEQUENT
ly it's nat'ral to her to tell lies
when they'll! serve her purpose;
and bear in mind it would
serve her purpose to make out the
diamond amt no longer where she
put it. Bear in mind, also, sir as she
W.lrn't herself when she made the
promise, and that she's been gettin'
more herself since. Her obs macy and
deviltry's comm back more and more
every day, and she's now almost the
obs nate, contrary little cuss she
was. Keep on bearin'. in mind that
she stole the diamond purposely to
separate you from Miss Lascelles, and
to bring you down to q Urinary work
in man again. see her game the day
we lost the diamond; see it clearer
AN ever when we got upto Petersville,
she was that angry when told her
there was no good to be done mimi
IN the mary way, so eager for me to
write and tell you there was q
going for the stuff down the big hole.
Now, fortune to he made soon as l
nit on the idea OF what's she to git by
glvin' up the diamond.-a little wuss
than noth'in. Which is why l reiice
in the prospect OF your making big
thing OF this ere orange CROWN. Still,
sir, we ain goin' to lose that diamond,
if we can help it, and we've got two
things to do. We've got to keep our
eyes on the snow, and get down the
great hole afore the wust OF the slush
and rock comes tumblin' down, and
we've got to make the Kid believe as
things down here is so jolly hourishin
as we don't kere two straws whether
we find the thing or not. You'll leave
that to me. I'll pitch it in strong to
her!''
And he kept his word. Every day
ne exhausted his stock OF adjectives
in elorifying the estate and dilating
upon the marvellous results to be OBJ
tanned from fruit culture, and occas-
ionally he referred to the Great Hes
per with such contempt that one
would have thought it was hardly
worth stretching out ones hand to
take:
This had the effect that Brace de-
sired. She listened in moody silence,
and, after had turned the subject,
she would sit with her chin in her
hands, her elbow on her knees, and
her great sad eyes fixed upon some
distant object, wrapped in dreamy
meditation. But Brace was not con-
tent with this.
One day I overheard him speaking
to Lola when they were alone.
81 reckon we shall have
to show of our good
pints, my gel, before the squire and his
daughter come here, OF we shall look
pretty mean by comparison, and
Gentleman Thorne will sorter feel
sick seem us hangin' around. He'll
say to his-seif, nat raj like, well, here
is this squire and his daughter, as I've
never done nothin' in partickler for,
has set me up in a business as is goin'
to make me the most eternal ALFRED
millionaire that ever lived; and,
on the other hand, here's this derned
old Judge, as skercely earns his salt,
and the Kid, as I've nussed and saved
twice from dying right out. and all
they've ever done for me is ter rob me
of all he'd, and do their level best to
clean me out and ruin me-"
He might have continued, being of a
persevering sort but that Lola; ran
away to her room, slammed the door,
and burst into a fit OF crying,
I