Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-07-03

We're it not for her vivacity, she would
be much like
"Bahp' said Bendixon, SO viciously
that Dick gave little jump. 81 wish
she weren't. -
For the last year he had given less
thought to her-that proud, stately girl
who had ruined his life; that creature
with the Madonna face and the deep,
serious eyes that gazed steadily into his
and protested passionate devotion while
their owners lips lied ghtforwardly
and solemnly declared her love for him.
That was before his fathers failure and
the loss of most of his fortune. Then
bah! DIN her!' said her self ex-
lied victim as he dug spur into poor
Dick and turned the unwilling little
beast off the home trail and on to the
one that led to the little mining camp,
three miles away "We'll forget her,
Dick, =" he added gently, feeling pang
of remorse for hurting his pet.
He entered the camp saloon quietly,
merely nodding to two or three miners
and couple of his own cowboys who
spoke to him. Fred Bendixon was not
"sociable" chap, according to the south
western acceptance Of the term, until he
had had few drinks and forgot what
had brought him where he was.
One of the Three Line outfit men
was talking to the bartender, and Boston
listened to him, carelessly at first, but
presently with interest.
sfCoo,, fbat fopJaLfoof baifo,. fh,f3c
stayin ovah t. Wheatley's t'day, Dan
an say, boy, she's a sho' rampageous
beaut, she is. was ridin through Wind
canyon, an jes' comm out intuh tn val
ley, wen all Of a suddint I meets up
with 'er, an her afoot She says, Good
mornin, sir 7 by gad, an smiled s sweet
IS eff was tn Dock O. Bilgewater, an I
was that ratified I most f'rgot I had M
hat ON an cd badly say 'Mornin!' an,
say, my heart beat fast FIR hour"
'Who is she, Peter" asked the bar
boy, with languid interest.
"Cousin r somethin o. Mis- Wheat
ley. Come out yere FIR t. git de-vorce
firm 'er ole man. Wheatley tole Pei
Hynes, an Pei tole me. Guess Mis-
Wheatley d ruin Wheat's face eff she
knowed he piped it,
So this fresh faced girl, hardly more
than 20, had had her sorrows too! From
that moment Fred Bendixon felt drawn
to her. She was braver than he, he re-
fiected, for she concealed her griefs un-
der the cloak of we'll assumed cheerful
ness, while newell, every one knew
that, as one citizen phrased it, ''Boston
had a sho' nough kick comm, eff 'enevah
does le' go of it-hkely some heifer done
kicked him.
Bendixon called upon his new ac-
quaintance the next day, and they had
long ride together on the Silver City
trail, Boston showing her the points of
interest-that is, where this or that per-
son rad been murdered by Indians or
Mexicans, or where Jones OF Smith had
been held up once upon time. There
was little else, beyond an occasional
view at distance of some spot made
historical by the Jesuits, with whom the
history of the country began. 1t was
late when they returned to the ranch.
"Let me thank you for very, very
pleasant day." said Mrs. Harlan softly,
as Bendixon, declining her invitation
to join the group in the gallery, bade
her ''good night" at the gate. sit is so
pleasant to meet some one-that isl
''The obligation is on my side, Mrs.
Harlan" answered Bendixon, with the
glamour of the southern moon, if he had
only known it, lowering about his un-
covered head. "Do you know what three
years without the pale of civilization
mean to one who-good night, Mrs.
Harlan"
"Good night" And she stood watch
ing his retreating figure, noting how
superbly he sat his horse, but forgetful
of the abruptness of his departure.
"Divinely handsome" she thought
complacently, 'and delightful company.
Since he has SO little to do, don't
think it will be such dull time, after
all"
Harlan must be brute,' thought
the one time unsusceptible Bendixon as
Dick galloped up the trail, cor else he's
fool. Probably he's both, for an intel
ligent brute couldn't fail to come under
the influence of a woman like that
She had asked him to call the next
day, and he had promised to do So
gladly at the time. AS he rode home,
however, he asked himself: "Why? To
what end?" But his hungry soul an
swered, "For the sake of intelligent
companionship while you may have it. +"
And of course he went, not only that
day, but the next, and thereafter there
were few days during the next two
months that they did not see each other.
The rains had been very light that
season, and hardly cattleman, or, for
that matter, any enc else, but was well
nigh in despair. Cattle by scores lay
dead on the plains and in the valleys
dead for want of food and water. Not
so many of Bendixon's. His were unu-
sually well provided for, but hardly an
outfit in the county but counted it's loss
by hundreds, and even thousands
''It'll come heavily, though, when it
does come, said Boston to Mrs Har-
Ian, as together they rode one hot after
noon through Wind canyon on their way
to call upon a sick man at the Two Bar
x ranch. "You never saw storm in
this country, did you? Well, it is some
thing worth seeing and keeping out of
the way Of Itcomes up suddenly-very
and the rain falls in chunks for a lit
tie while, then it suddenly ceases, and
one thinks that's the end of it, but it
isn't Presently the canyons and ravines
become flooded with water, and each
one becomes the bed of a torrent. And
the waterways on the lower levels-I
have seen rocks weighing tons carried
down through them by the wall of wa
ter. AS matter of fact-by Joven' he
interrupted himself suddenly, "that
storm we noticed over in the Burro
mountains awhile ago is coming this
way"
He was right Inside of five minutes
| the storm had broken over them, and
| they had to seek what shelter was afford
ed by the lee of a rock that partially
overhung the trail. The storm was over
presently, the clouds, apparently with
out any impelling breeze, passing over
IL. 4 l., H. ,1o tod OF,