The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25

"You never heard the story of the
Yokol ?-didn't ever know that was the
name of the canyon? Haven't been long
in these parts, have you? It's peaceful
looking enough, yawning there in the sun;
nothing much to mark it from the thou
sand other canyons that make the foot
hills of the Sierras. That road that winds
steeply up its length goes to sawmill,
lust the same as the other roads IN the
other canyons. Yet, once, sir-not so
manv wears ago-I sat here in this same
spot with my back against this same old
pine and saw a tragedy which, If it had
happened anywhere but in California,
would have been the theme of many
poets rhyme. You see these white locks
of mine? They were like that the next
time l looked in the glass after that NOM
ing I'm thinking of.
Turned white in a day. Oh, l don't
know about that. 1t might have been
three or four years before l looked again.
Tell you about it? I'd rather not just
All, thanks-good whisky, that, first class;
guess you've been here longer than l
thought. Well, just down there IN the
other side of the canyon where you see
that fat place by the lone tree there was
a cabin. A fellow we called Curry-don't
recollect his other name, if ever knew
it-l1ved there with his wife and baby. 1t
was girl baby and as pretty as picture.
But the mother of the baby, sir-Curry's
wife-there's the rub.
"Beautiful?" l don't know. What is 1t
the old boy says a bout
Your eyes had swimming glory, Jeanette,
And they matched with your gold-brown hair, my
pet.
That's something like she was, only not
exactly.
There are some women that you can't
describe, you know. You just love them.
l hadn't been in the house week till
was in love with her through and through.
Mind, now, I'm not saying she was in
love with me. I'm only telling you about
my own feelings. She was the kind Of
woman a man respects the more he loves
her.
Oh, yes, know
In the way that sins are reckoned,
But know too, that If an angel beckoned,
Standing close by the throne on high,
And she adOWn by the gates internal
Should open her loving arms and smile
Well, I'd go down theTe-that's me.
l drove Curry's other team. He had a
contract for hauling lumber from the mill
to Visalia, and l Only lived during the
times we were at the cabin when 1 sat and
watched Curry's wife. Harness and I'M
harness, load lumber and unload it, drive
i i ! = ,1-S l 1.
the sun and dust, Sunday and Monday,
week in and week QUIT was all the same
to me. lived with but one thought, and
that was to get to the cabin and sit and
watch Curry's wife at her work, and help
her little when she would let me. don't
remember whether he paid me my wages
or not-have a sort of hazy idea that he did
not.
mostly made of holding the baby my
pretext for staying in the house. 1t cut all
it's front teeth on my forefnger.
So things drifted along till Curry put on
another team, and hired Rance to drive it );
twas then the disturbment in my heart
begun. Rance had lived in Kansas one
time. and that's how he got the piece of a
nickname.
Nance Was udHuSOIlc lcllOW. ne was
taller than I, and his silky mustache
dropped over a mouth as sensitively sweet
as sweet woman's. There was boyish
frankness in his manner, and winning
sort of something in his face that won
even me.
He had not been with US a week till /
knew he was in the same fix I was-in
love with Curry's wife. l knew the symp-
toms. The first time it dawned on me was
once when l saw him passing the clothes
line, where one of her dresses was b ing
out to dry-he raised the sleeve of it to
his lips. He didn't know any one saw
him. l was sorry for him. 1 think !
hated him little, too. But it didn't agree
with Rance. L think his conscience was
less pacific than mine was. He lost appe-
tite and grew thinner, and he'd blush like
girl if she spoke to him or came near
him, but he worked harder than ever. The
care he took O. that team OF his must have
made them think they were in a livery
stable.
On the morning of the day I'm thinking
about-it was Christmas, an SOS this, and
this is the first time I've been here
simeon that morning Curry had brought
turkey and some cranberries and things
and we were going to have day off and g
regular Thanksgiving time of it. We
were only hauling from the foot of the
grade there and had more time at the
house. 1 was picking a pumpkin fo1
Curry's wife and Rance was holding the
baby. 1t could walk quite WELL hut
never got much chance to when either
Rance or myself was about the house
He was tickling its throat and making il
laugh. / remember it reached its hands
to its mother = she just worshiped thai
child and Rance knew it, too-so she
went over laughing end stopped to take
it. 1t caught both hands in her hair an6
pulled her head down to its face. Her soft
heavy, shiny hair was within an inch O.
Kance's mustache and quick as flash be
kissed it.
l knew it was an impulse and that she