Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-29

and protested passionate devotion while their owners lips lied straightforwardly and solemnly declared her love for him. That was before his fathers failure and the loss of most of his fortune Then
 ttBah! D-n her !'' said her self ex- fled 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 G, three miners and a couple of his own cowboys who spoke to him. Fred Bendixon was not a "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 outfits men was talking to the bartender, and Boston listened to him, carelessly at first, but presently with interest.
 "Seen that tendahfoot heifer hts 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' comin out intuh tn val ley, wen all of suddint I meets up with Ter, an her afoot. She says, Good mornin, sir !! by gad, an smiled s sweet s eff was tn Dock O Bilgewater, an I was that rattled most f'rgot had m hat on an cd ha'dly say 'Morninl' an, say, my heart beat fast fir hour.
 "Who is she, Peter" asked the bar boy, with languid interest.
 Cousin T somethin O Mis- Wheat ley. Come ont yere fir t git a de-vorce firm Ter ole man. Wheatley tole Pel Hynes, an Pel 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- flected, 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 comin, eff 'enevah does le' go of it-ikely some heifer done kicked him.
 Bendixon called upon his new &C., 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 l son had been murdered by Indians or MeXicans, or where Jones or Smith had been held up once upon time. There | was little else, beyond an occasional view at a distance of some spot made historical by the Jesuits, with whom the history of the country began. It 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 ill the gallery, bade her good night" at the gate. ''It is so | pleasant to meet some one-that is''-
 "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 enc 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 l all. ."
 Harlan must be brute," thought the one time unsusceptible Bendixcn as Dick galloped up the trail, Cor else he's fool. Probably he's both, for an intel igent brute couldn't fail to come under the influence of woman like that. D 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 one else, but was we'll 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 S. His were unu- suall.: we'll provided for, but hardly an outfit Ill the county but counted its loss by hundreds, and even thousands.
 'Ir'll come heavily, though, when it 0oes 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 Bal X ranch "You never saw a storm ir this country, did you? We'll, it is some thing worth seeing and keeping out oi the way of. It comes up psuddenly-very and the rain falls in chunks for lit tie while, then it suddenly ceases, anG one thinks that's the end of it, but ii isn't. Presently the canyons and ravineI become flooded with water, and eacl one becomes the bed of torrent. AnC the waterways on the lower levels have seen rocks weighing tons carried down through them by the wall of wa ter. As matter of fact-by JoveP' h. interrupted himself suddenly, "tha storm we noticed over in the Burrt mountains awhile ago is coming thi way"
 ! do was r1gnG. 1nS1Qo or nVo m1nuCe the storm had broken over them, ant they had to seek what shelter was afford ed by the lee of q rock that partiall, overhung the trail. The storm was ove presently, the clouds, apparently with out any impelling breeze, passing ove quickly and leaving the clarified atmos phere and a dim rainbow as reminder of their visitation.
 Come" said Bendixon, "we mus hurry and get back to where we cal strike the hills Hurryi"
 Mrs. Harlan looked at him quizzically "The idear' she said. 'I do believ you re guying me-" And unassisted sh