Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-03-08
CHAPTER II

good fortune to form the acquaintance of Senor Valencia and was several times invited U dine at his house Gen. tlemen only appeared at the table, thus confirming all his friend Reed had said of this feature of New Mexican domestic life
 Raymer embraced every opportunity to learn something of Dona Teresa, but with small success On his second visit he determined upon q desperate meas ure. He called at the Valencia residence and asked to see the ladies sHe was graciously received by la sonora and Q few elderly maiden relatives, but to his request that he might pay his respects to tho daughter of tho house the mother politely replied that it would be impos- sible, giving several excellent reasons | for Ia sencrita'S absence. She told him that she knew to whose brave assistance | Teresa oWrd her rescue from the ruffian in Santa Fo and returned her grateful | thanks for the same. She also expressed much regret that Don Ignacio Ortega her daughters affianced husband, on | account of illness was unable to punish the man as he deserved, and she added that 1t would be an unceasing regret on his part that he was unable to do what every impulse of his brave and generous nature impelled him to do.
 1 Tho lieutenant returned to Santa Fe feeling that an attempt to break through ! the social barriers that inclosed Teresa l would be futile. and to make her ac- l quaintance according to society methods was beyond hope. There seemed but one I f,, S. and manly character-to attempt a clan destine acquaintance. This thought he dismissed at once, not only because it was inconsistent with his own nature, but because he believed from what he had learned of her that the Mexican girl | would not encourage him in such a course.
 He had learned one thing during his last visit, which seemed to make any further attempts to form her acQuaint- ancc hopeless as wCll as useless. Orte- gas parvnts had made ovcrtureS looking toward immediate marriage and Te- r,Sa' 's mother was in favor of the propo- sitiOn. Her father, however, preferred tho union should not tako place before she was 2l years old.
 Sumo months later Raymcr received orders tn march his company to Los | Nallcs GrandcS, something over 100 | miles west of santa Fe, to relieve d company of volunteers that for year past had been guarding a'trail leading from the Rio Grande to the Navajo | country. The lieutenant was tho only officer on duty with his company, which, reduced by various casualties, numbered but 45 men, With these he performed the five days march la his new station
 The valley ill which Inc found the volunteer CnCampmCnt was If miles long by < wide. surrounded on all sides by rugged and forest clad noun tainS, A stream of crystal water flowing from a group of springs near the north eru end wound turtuously and without break or ripple to the southern eNtrem- ity. where il plunged through narrow and precipitouS canyon, impossible to man Or beast, and found its way to the Jenez river. Westward a second can yOn. known as La Puerta, led for six miles between nearly perpendicular i walls to another valley lying parallel with the first.
 Tho first valley. rising saucerlike from the center to tho fringe of pines at the foot of the mountain slopes. was covered with waving grass. Not a tree nor shrub arose from the undulating surface. pine covered point extended from the western range into the valley near the center like bold headland into the sea
 There was no wagon road into the basin. except the one by which the sol | 1fa,-- hy,f ho1 o dozen mountain trails from the direo- ton of the Rio Grande, all uniting with the ono which passed to the west through La Pucrta There was also a bridlr path leading sOuthward to the In dian pueblo of Jenlcz, 25 miles distant
 Near the center of the valley, little south of the wooded point, roll ill the surface swelled into horseshoe shaped ridge l5 feet high, inclOsing a level space of nearly two acres The opening of the horseshoe was to tho east, and before it, from heel to heel, flowed the Ftream. Across the loop and well back against the ridge stood TOW of l6 cab
 inS, with company kitchen and store house at tho north end and officers ! quarters at the south end. Up tho ridge,
 behind the line of cabins. was the guard
 house, before which walked the only
 sentinel pasted i'll the valley. A stable
 stood a little moro retired tu the north. \ The lieutenant cabin contained onC , room, having two windows looking out
 upon the parade and a door opening
 upon the southern side The huge pint
 logs of which it was constructed wer,
 laid horizontally and hewcd smooth OI
 the inner side. The floor was of earth
 raised above the surface of the ground
 several inches, made level and carpeteC = with the skins of the gray wolf. coyote l. and bear. A corner incloSed with hand ) some Navajo blankets was used as bedroom. In the corner farthest iron
 door and windows was large ston, ,; fireplace, chimney and mantel On tn T. walls hung the arms and equipment of the lieutenant, the antlers of q stai and other trophies of the hunt ant 1' weapons taken in encounters with tn V Indians Over the mantel were crosses i, muskets intersected by guidons. Ol
 the northern wall a small bookshelf made of slabs hewed thin and Orna I5 mented by rustic boughs and pine cones
 contained a few college textbooks Ii 0, Latin and Greek; dictionary. reade
 and grammar and Don Quixote" an 8, the missal dropped from the Valenci
 carriage, in Spanish. In English ther D. were few novels by the best authors.
 Shakespeare, several popular magazine $, and reviews, military reference book
 and tactics, the Bible and the Boo r of Common Prayer" A center table, o stand, four chairs, woodbox and wate '' jar made up the furniture.
 4 few yards behind the officers cabi was his kitchen; but, as the heutenaI |, was alone, he made no use of it, turI
 ing his rations into the company kitcheI
 from which his servant brought h