Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-11-02
THE WHITE HORSE.

THE WHITE HORSE.
''This canyon ought to have history,
Pablo l said to the guide as, supper
finished, leaned back on my blankets
and dreamily gazed at the scene before
us.
1t was summer night-a night in
the southwest, where nights are perfect.
The moon was at the full, and not a
cloud was in the sky to obscure hel
radiance OF the light Of the myriad
stars which bore her company. The
air was cool and bracing, yet balmy,
and there was just enough breeze to luli
ones spirits and cause him to forget
the world and indulge in fanciful rever-
les such as only southern breezes in
spire
We had pitched our camp on one OF
the sloping hills on the south side OF
the canyon, where Il little stream OF
clear, sweet water rippled from q spring
in ravine down into the canyon be-
low. Above US was the signing. odor-
GUS forest of juniper and pinon. Below
was little stretch of velvety grass ex
tending clear to the floor OF the canyon
on both sides of the little stream. Right
and left stretched the canyon itself, its
walls, precipitous for the most part, ris-
ing grandly hundreds Of feet high on
each side.
'sIt is beautiful, Pablo" continued.
'sIt must have q history Of some kind
Or a story-no:''
Isl, senior, that it has-aye, that it
has, answered the Mexican, lighting
a fresh cigarette and putting at it re
fectively a moment would tie senol
hear it?''
''By all means, Pablo. Go ahead.
And here is Pablos story as nearly
as I can translate it, for he spoke III
Spanish:
tsDoes the senior see the cliff on the
other side, how high it is? That is the
cliff of the White Horse. It is many
hundred feet high and straight up ane
down. And at the top when the mool
is a little higher the senior will see the
white horse 1t is q great white rock OF
the edge of the cliff, and by clear moon
light it looks like a white horse. 1t ha.
not Away been there, and now, the5
say, on the anniversaries Of a certain
day the ghost of old Don Fernando
comes and rides it along the edge Of thu
canyon.
don Fernando? Oh, aye. May the
blessed saints have mercy upon him!'
calculated Pablo, crossing himself.
"Many years ago Don Fernando Cor
tez-he was grandson or something OF
the great Cortez-lived over above be
You'd the canyon several miles. Dol
Fernando was rich and lived i'll a Crane
slaves. He was u great entertainer, wa:
Don Fernando, and people used to com
many miles--hundreds, thousands, yes,
to his grand dinners and balls.
He was not good man. No. HI
was cruel master and hard with al
his people and made them all hate him.
He was kind to only two living crea
lures. Ono Of these was his beautiful
daughter, the Lady ISABEL; the othel
was his great white stallion, the largest
and feetest horse i'll all the country.
These two the old don loved as his tive
eyes, and well he might. Yes. Tho
Lady Ysabel was not only beautiful, but
she was kind and good, and all the peo-
pie loved her as much as they hated the
don, which was a great deal. She had
golden hair and eyes like the sky, anG
it is said the birds listened when SIT
sang. And the horse-aye, he was won
derful. He was as big as three ordinary
horses, and his tread shook the ground.
He had q long, white name and eyes
that flashed fire and was almost as
much feared as the old don, who alone
dared go near him.
1.-The Lady Ysabel had many suitors.
The wealthiest and most aristocratie
men i'll all the country came to sue 10.
her hand, many Of them from faroff
California, and some, it is said, came
even from Spain. But the Lady Ysabel
would have none Of them. She loved
her pony and her dogs and birds anf
her people, but a man, no. One aftel
another came. but she turned them all
away. So after few years the old don
became tired ct what he called her fool
ishness and swore she should marry,
and at once, man whom he had Sc
lected for her.
''This grieved the Lady ISABEL very
much, for not only did she not love any
of those who had offered themselves to
her, but her Heart was already given
given to one of her fathers poems, a
young man named Jose, whom she had
helped to nurse through a terrible i'll
ness. Him she used to meet by stealth
nearly every night unknown to any
but themselves. But one night when
the Lady Ysabel's wedding day was
near at hand she aud her lover were
ears Of the old don.
HE started to find them, swearing
to kill them both, but they had Eer
warned and had taken two Of the fleet
est horses in the stables and fled. With
mad haste the don saddled his white
stallion ard pursued them. They had
taken their way over the hills blindly,
but some instinct led the don to follow
the direction they had taken, and in a
short time he had them i'll sight riding
over the plateau beyond the canyol
there.
"When the lovers saw they were p1r
sued. they put their jaded horses te
their highest speed, hoping to escape.
but soon they found it was too late, and
as the old don, with terrible curses
pressed them closely they leaped to the
ground, ran to the edge Of the cliff, ard
clasped i'll each others arms sprans
into eternity together.
"And the don? For days he raved
like mailman and seemed TO know 80
one. Then he became quicter, and they
thought he would be himself again.
But one moonlight night they missed
him, aud several set ont to seek him.
He was riding up ard down the edge OF
the cliff yonder, raving ard disappearing
terribly, and none Of those who had