The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1895-01-31

"I'll never do it, Jennie. l love you,
little one-God knows how much; you
know how long. Never woman had such
wealth of affection humbly. persistently
rendered, as that which, these dresry
months, have given you-and very dim
the CLEAN OF hope that have seen. Why
do you make me suffer? You say you
are fond Of me; you encourage me to be-
lieve you may yet love me. Yet you scott
at the emotion you must see you awaken,
when l plead that you will come to me.
As for the mine, God forgive me IL ever
set foot in its dismal slopes agsin-un-
less you 20 there with me. Money you
will have, you say. can't give it now,
you know can't; but I'll do all things
man can do to find you the comfort and
the luxuries You wish-and deserve, my
girl. Only--I can't go back there; just
can't"
And there was world Of pleading in
the brown eyes as the man ceased speak
ing and reached for the little hand the
maiden petulantly withheld. "And why
not, Teddy ?" she asked.
Because-little girl-because it is so far,
SO very far away from you; and because
the mine is played out'-if, indeed, it
ever were of value. There's nothing
there but solitude; just loneliness SUI
prems. In the daytime it's bad enough
with only the wash Of the Tietan ripples
a. they break on the beach at the basin,
to vary the monotony OF silence but the
nights are worse. Dear, am not cow
ard, and love the twilight; yet never
was so utterly lonely in all my life as |
have been these lar Endless months.
When the sun weetsdown my spirits
went, also; and wheS the moon-white,
cold and o, so far away-cane up, so
came great wave of gloomy thoughts
and phantoms. to people the silent re-
cesses OF the mine with ghouls and elves,
and drive the drowsiness from my heart
aud brain. What thoughts | had we're
feverish, enerv ating. Not that they were
altogether OF the dear, past life, or based
on memories of possessions once my own
not that they were regretfu or rebellious;
for often they were OF you, little one. Aud
/ can but bless the destiny that led me,
through recklessness, extravaganza and
years of idle waaderings. into this out OF
the way but beautiful valley Of the Yak
ima-to find you, sweet. But / had
other thoughts, those nights. You know
It's only the obscure is terrible:
Imagination frames events unknown,
In wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin
And what 1t fears, creates
so il was with me. Hell itself can
not contain the tortures OF that spot; be-
cause-because, my girl, often awoke
from titful dreams-of you--to fancy you
were lost to me. Did you ever awaken,
in the early morning hours, to find your
eyes moist with tears and your heart ach-
ing regretfully because OF dream that
some loved one had been taken from you
And how one docs torture oneself with
hypnotic fancies of the realization OF the
vision. Jennie"
"Well?"
"who is Fred Hale; what is he doing
here; and when did he Gomez"
Sits the wind in that quarterr
Teddy. my boy" exclaimed the girl.
Then in . way Tantalus' own; HE
is Q very agreeable fellow, from New
York; he is trying to invest some of his
great wealth in this sandy soil, that
grows cannon balls from implanted buck
shot and-he came (demurely, and with
eyes cast down, then glancing shyly up
shortly after you went away. And il you
want to know all about him, ask my YER
satile and thoroughly western father. He
says Fred Hale is sure 'nough Bowen.
ergeys;' that he kin talk q bird off a
bough when there's worm on the
limb and nothin' in sight below"
Teddy" Mitchell groaned. He had
been for months grinding the life in his
body into the quartz of an evidently
worthless mine, awsy*np near the head
waters OF the Tietan river; into which
mine he had, after the manner of the
"tenderfoot." unsuspectingly and with
childlike innocence put his little all at the
suggestion of willy broker, who had
since that eventful deal shaken the dust
Of the Yakima valley from his nimble
feet. Teddy" had varied the sameness
OF almost years labors by several trips
down TO the Natcheez settlement, for his
own as we'll az Jennie's sake; and on this
visit, after an absence OF perhaps three
months, he had learned that his jealous
forebodings babe fair to bear fruit-for
Fred Hale, q wealthy New Yorker, was
laying desperate siege to the citadel
wherein reposed the heart of Harper
daughter.
With kindly tolictude the neglected
damsels and the envions mothers OF the
Natcheez had told him all about it, in a
most sympathetic way-ringing the
changes on Jennie's love for ''fixins" and
Hale's undoubted ability to crafty that
penehant, until Mitchell had gone, wild
with jealousy he had striven to repress,
once more to plead with the obdurate but
undeniably pleasing and beautiful Jen-
ME. She, in response to his earnest pro-
testations, had told him to 90 back to his
mine; and that when he had money
enough to suffice for both she would lis
ten to him, and not before.