The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-02-28
WHOLE NO. 1922.

teen years latter Tutter and his Mexican
wife were drowned in the greedy, faith
less Canadian, that has stolen away 50
many lives entrusted to it, their l5-year-
old Ysabel was left as utterly alone and
forlorn as little woodpecker or squirrel,
orphaned before yet old enough to leave
the nest; and the kindhearted Fin
negans, hearing Of it, went and got the
child and brought her home. Her posi-
ton in the household was a mixture of
adopted daughter and petted, INDUCED
servant
Being the only child, Ysabel was much
educated and trained, in the most singu-
lar, erratic and contradictory manner, by
her strangely assorted parens; her
mother watching and laboring inces-
sanity to the end that the child should
read and speak only Spanish, and grow
up an ideal Spanish senorita; and her
father feeding her active brain upon the
most emancipated literature, and in
dustriously pumping the most advanced
of his radical ideas into her receptive
mind. 1t spoke well for the girls native
force and judgment that she really found
out some things, formed some ideas, and
drew some conclusions of her own from
the bewildering process.
When she first became 4 member Of
the Finneg1n household she was a
slender slip of girl, qniet as little
shadow, but with ample promise Of beau
ty if an eye had looked discerningly at
her. And in the two years that elapsed
that promise bloomed into most Opulent
fulfillment
Her form was pretty and graceful but
it was a curious air Of individuality, a
strong personal and original note in her
bearing despite its still Occurrences, that
pioued and attracted. And then, the
rich red shining lambently through her
creamy cheeks and breaking into open
crimson on her full lips, the big, black
eyes. with their long fringes downeast,
and the flashing white teeth that helped
to make dazzling her rather rare smile
all of these were calculated to inhame
the susceptible masculine heart.
All the unattached cowboys and cattle
men in all the adjoining counties cat
approving eyes upon this glowing beauty,
and some had endeavored to do a little
covert signing at her shrine. The old
people who had come to be very found
of her, were now as careful and watehful
of her as Of daughter, and Ysabel her
self was a model of demure discretion.
When Absalom came home and found
this enchanting creature in the house,
his instinct was Just TO reach out and
! take possession ofit-to have and please
himself with it. Wasn'tit the same ss
everything else on the ranch, his ?
For once the old people opposed him
stoutly and unfinchingly, and prepared
to send her to convent school at
Trinidad. Upon the heels Of long and
somewhat stormy interview with Ysabel,
| iu which he found her as determined in
her views as the old people, and entirely
satisfied to 90 away to school, he flung
in upon his parents with the announce
ment that he was going 10 marry her.
At first blush this seemed as terrible
to them, with their strict Old World
ideas Of caste, as that he should entertain
less honorable intentions toward her.
But their resistance was, as usual when
the boy wanted anything, short-lived
and their final cspitulation entire.
OF course eyerybOdy's notion of the
matter was that Finnegan's had simply
gotten another sdoring slave and squad
rons and battaliOns Of her masculine
admirers, with their weapons and muni-
tions Of war all cleaned and primed, were
breathing FIRE and waiting to defend her
against the wrongs and insults they felt
sure would be heaped upon her attractive
I little head, or avenge them in large
quantities Of the very best blood her
wronger and insulter had about him.
Vain solicitude! Ysabel needed no
defense.
As with all the women Of her race and
class, marriage made great change in
her. From being nobody. with nothing
to say, she, became suddenly somebody,
with great deal, entirely TO the point,
to say. The dignity Of her titles, the
possessions and position, was strong
within her, and she showed herself en-
tirely capable Of managing not only Fin
negan himself, in daughterly and de-
fsrential manner, when he consulted her
to concihAtOry policy toward the young
bully.
Capable of managing Finnegan She
was only too capable Of managing the
entire ranch, and could have run the
entire Panhandle, financially, politically
and socially, had she ever got any SOFT
Of cinch on il.
II was not for nothing that she was
the daughter of her father, with her
mothers balance weight ofunpre.ending
dogged persistence. Finnegan's didn't
know itself The ranch was gradually
metanorphosej, and run on a plan that
came directly from behind those black
brows of Yszbel's. And its transforms
ton partook humOrously Of the deal
strands intertEisted in her nature
Through her suggestion live, husthng
young business man was brought from
Kansas City to do the clerical work, and
the handsome stationery upon which he
wrote with his typewriter the abe and
diplomatic letters evolved by himself
and Ysabel in eonclsve bore a neat
Autographed head which read Rancho
del Santa Cruz, Gradel HsrsfJrd cattle;
Merino sheep; imported Norman
Percherons. Cattle and sheep graEed
and herded on shares"
The cowboys used TO assert that the |
COWS on remote ranges were mysteTiOusly /
aware Of the storm regime, and fOrbore |
strayiug Of to the Salt Fork Cor the |
purpose Of begging up as heretofore that I
they came meekly in unPersuadeds at
branding time, and presented their !