The morning call., 1893-05-14

site and how he came by al the wealth to
| build it, they Kept their wondering TO
themselves.
For time the work went on with no in
terruptions. The thick adobe walls rose
| higher and higher with the labor of each
! day. They built a little adobe house for
padre near by, so that he might be
| always close TO the work.
Sometimes in the long evenings, after
the laboters were gone to the settlement.
ami when the sun sank behind the western
height of the canyon the padre would go
ont on TO the plateau ana walk among the
twilight shadows OF the uncompleted walls.
He was all alone there then, Ii you
would go there now at twilight you might
divine the charm that held him, for the
scene Is gfand. In fancy you might see
him going there TO be near God-nature'S
God. The sight is very beautiful when
the sunlight fades out, and the sky is
tinted opalDe, and the broken shadows
stretch across the canyon. Out of the
mouth of it you can look down on the
plain that lies far below, still bathed in
sunlight and then turning, peer Into the
impenetrable gloom that has alre ady gath
cred in the chasm above.
One evening, just at dusk, a young girl
came there. She had Climbed up the steep
path on the other side OF the canyon be-
hind the bunch of oaks that hides the
plateau from sight. In the shadow of the
trees she paused. Drawing a deeD breath
she uttered a plaintye cry. 1t was Just
one word that awuke a score of echoes
reverberating through the canyOn-and
then she waited, bat no answer came.
The child crept on through the trees and
out upon the open. Father Sorrsno. COM
ing to know the meaning OF the strange
cry, found her there. She had no fear Of
him, for the instinct OF childhood told her
he meant her no harm.
what is it that the senorita comes here
to find?" he asked.
RICARDO" she answered simply. sis he
not here?"
'NO"
There was look upon the padres face
which the child did not understand. TELL
ne OF Ricardo" he said.
The child told him. and told him, too,
her life story-a simple story-but one
that was lasting mystery to The good
padre.
Her name was Mocha. She lived with
the herders at the rancho. She had lived
there since she could remember, and no
one seemed TO care much for her only to
sec that she W rked enough and did not
associate with the other children. Some
times woman came to see her. Mocha
did not like this woman, though they told
her 1t was her mother She had no father;
sic dill not even know if he were dead
Such q simple child and such simple
story as she told And yet there was
something very strange about this child's
life that filled the good man with deep
mystery. The strangcst part was that
about Ricardo.
Ricardo was her friend. she said. while
everybody else seemed TO hate him and
fear him. She loved him. and used to
come often TO the plateau TO see him, but
she had not seen him for q long time.
The padre listened 10 all OF the child's
tale. When she was done lie told her to
come to the plateau again some twilight
and promised to tell her his story. Then
Mocha went back through the trees and
down the path. leaving the padre alone in
the darkening shadows.
The child's story weighed heavily on
his heart His older eyes could see the sin
the child knew not OF. For he knew
Ricardo ana knew that Ricardo was dead;
he had stood by the deathbed and watched
his life go out. II was worthless lille.
at best, and no friends were there to
mourn, for Ricardo was an outlaw. Not
an ordinary bandit, but tile worst criminal
in the whole country.
The story of Ricardo is part of The story
of the mission. When the Senorita Mocha
came again to the plateau one night the
padre told her. as tenderly as he could. ali
about Ricardo's end.
A band of sheepherders found him
lying one day in the dust OIL the Mesa
trail just back OF San Diego. He was not
dead, but there was bullet hole near his
heart and a great pool of blood under him.
They carried him TO the mission at San
Diego, where the good fathers cared for
him until he died.
The padre told Mocha that Ricardo had
confessed his sins ard died contrite. and
that heaven had forgiven him. The child
mourned for her dead friend for MANY
day.
But Ricardo had done more than confess
his sins. This outlaw, whose life had been
full OF crime, was very rich. The people
say he alone knew the secret of the won
derful mine of silver. If another man. nv
chance. would get the secret then that man
would die, aud his body would he found
in some lonely place, silver bullet in his
heart. Ricardo nodded all his bullets of
silver.
As the bandit lay on the bed of death
with the good padres around him he ceased
TO curse the unknown hand that had
caused the death wound in his breast and
fell 10 repenting of his sins. PERHAPS he
was coward and thought to ease his
mind, but whether that is so or not. il is
said lie told the padres then the secret of
the wonderful mine and dying requested
them to 60 there and build mission.
This is the story OF The mission in the
canyon; but the great mystery of the up-
completed walls that are now ruins Is still
untold. The walls are there-the life is
gone; the shadows of twilight stretch
across the walls as of old. But there is
more mystery than ever, for the holy
father, who in all his life never harmed a
single being, was murdered too. He
walked alone one night and some one stole
stealthily TO his side in the gloom and
plunged knife in his heart. No one ever
solved this awful mystery: no one ever
tried TO solve 1t, and so it stands yet.
Perhaps another story that is told abont
the OLD life in the canyon has Something
to do with the secret-a love story ending
In hate and crime-like some love stor-
les do.
There was one woman who was very
beautiful All the young men in the coun-