The morning times., 1895-08-25

| Have you got EN- YET.
Yes, both" He took them from the
! pocket Of his riding jacket.
As Collinson received them, his face took
upon itself an ever grayer expression.
ITS mighty curious" he said reilectlVely,
but looking at the TWO of 'tm The like
ness is more fetchin' Ye see, my wife had
a straight foot, ana never wore reg lar
rights and lefts like other women, but
| kinder charged about; We see, these shoes
is reg lar rights and leits, but never was
worn rs sichi'
There may be other women as peculiar, y
suggested Key.
There must be-" said Collinson, quietly.
For an Instant Key was touched with the
manly sincerity ofthe reply, for, remembering
Uncle Dicks scandal, il had occurred TO
him that the unknown tenant or the rob
ber's den might be CoIlinsOn's wife. He
was glad 10 be relieved on that point and
went on more confidently:
80, you see, this woman was undoubtedly
| in that house on the night OF the fire. She
| escaped, and in a mighty hurry, too, for
! she had not time to change her slippers for
/ shoes; she escaped on horseback, for
thai is how she lost them. Now what was
she doing there with those rascals, for the
| face saw looked as innocentas a saints"
'Seemed To We sort q contrary. jist as
rcckuned my wifr's foot would nave looked
in slipper that you said was give TO ye,"
| suggested Coliinson pointedly, but with no
implication Of reproach in his voice.
Yes" said Key impaucnty.
I've read yarns afore now about them
Eyetalian brigands stealn' women said
Collinson rerlectively, but that amt Cal
ifornia road agent style. Great Scott!
If one even so much as spoke to a woman
they'd have been wiped outer the State
long ago No, the woman is was there,
oai.e there TO stay
AS Keys face did not seem to express
either assent or satisfaction at Ibis last
statement, Coilinson, after a glance at it,
went on with a somewhat gentler gravity.
Il see wot's troublin' you, Mr. Key; you've
bin thinkin' that mebbe that poor woman
might hev' bin the better for a bit o. that
fortn' That YOU discovered under the very
spot where them slippers of hers had often
trod. You're thinkin' that mebbe it might
hev' turned her and her man from their evil
ways"
Mr. Key had been thinking nothing Of the
kind but for some obscure reason the scep-
tical ieer that had risen 10 his lips remained
unsaid. He rose impauently. Well, there
seems q, be- no chance Of discovering any
thing now; the house is burned, the gang
dispersed, and she has probably gone with
them" He paused. and then laid three or
four large gold pieces on the table. Its
for that old bill OF our party, Collinson, he
said IN settle and collect from eacL
Some time when you come over to the mine,
and suppose you VIII give Us call, you can
/ bring the horse. Meanwhile, you can use
him: youu find he's a little quicker than the
mule How is busness?" he added, with 4
perfunctor. glance around the vacant room
and dusty bar.
Thar amt much passin' this way"
sand Collinson. with equal carclessness, as
he gathered up the money. 'Cept those
boys from the valley, and they're most al
ways strapped when they come here"
Key smiled as he observed that Collin
son offered him no receipt, and, moreover,
as he remembered that he had only Collin
sons word for the destruction Of Parker S
draft But he merely glanced at his un
| conscious host and said nothing. After
a pause hc said in a lighter tone: Il sup,
pose you are rather out OF the world here
Indeed, had an idea at first of buying
out your mill, Colinson, and putting in
steam power 10 get out timber for our new
buildings, but you see you are so far
away from the wagon road that we couldn't
haul the timber away. That was the
trouble. or I'd have made you a fair
offer"
Il don't reckon 10 ever. sell the mill, y
said Colinson, simply Then observing
the look OF suspicion in his companions
face, he added, gravely: You see, l
rigced up the whole thing when / ex
! pectcd my wife out from the States, and
l calldlate 10 keep it in memory of her"
Key slightly lifted his brows But
you never told US, by The way, how You
ever came 10 put up a mill here with such
an uncertain water supply"
1T wasn't onSartin when l came here
Mr Key; it was a full-fed stream straight
| from them snow peaks. Ii was the earth
/ quake did it"
The earthquakei'' repeated Key.
Yes. Eff the earthquake kin heave up
| that silver bearing rock that you told
us about the first day you KEN here, and
that you found t'other day, it could play
roots with a mere millstream, reckon -
ages on ages1go, whenthis whole IN mountain
range was being fashioned" said Key
with a laugh.
''Well, this yer earthquake was ten years
ago, just after came. reckon oughter
remember it. 1t was queer sort o'day
in the fan, dry and hot, as if thar might
| hev bin fire in the woods, only there
wasn't no wind. Not breath of air any
/ wbar The leaves of them alders hung
straight as a plumb line. Except for that
thar stream and that thar wheel, nothin'
moved Thar wasn't a bird on the wing
over that canon; thar wasn't a squirrel
skirmishin' in the hun wood; even the lizards
/ in the rocks stiffened like stone Chinese
idols 1t kept gettin' quieter and quieter
! ontil ] walked out on that ledge and felt
as If I'd have to give yell just to hear
my own voice. Thar was thin veil over
everything and betwiXt and betw eenevery-
/ thing and the sun was rooted in the IL iddle
/ of il as if il couldn't move neither. Every
thin seemed to be waitin', waitin', waitin'.
| Then all of % sudden suthin' seemed to
! give somewhar! Suthin' fetched away with
/ queer sort of rum bin, as if the peg had
/ slipped outer creation. i looked up and
! kalkiiated to see half dozen OF boulderS
cone, lickity switch, down the grade. But,
darn my skin if one of 'em stirred, and yet
while / was lookin' the whole face o.
that bluff bowed over softly. as if saying
goodbye and got clean away somewhaJ
before j knowed it. Why, you see that pile
agin the side O. the canonl Well, thou.
sand feet under that there's trees, three
hundred feet, still upright and standin'
You know how them pines over on that
far mountain side always seem to be
! elm bin up, up, UP, over each others