The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-09-20

lips parted, and her bosom slightly
heaving with the momentary excite
ment, Again their eyes met; then she
turned and hurried back to the jacal,
His gaze followed her, and half un-
consciously he was dreamingly compar-
ing her with another a. blue-eyed, fair.
haired woman of the north, who-sud-
denly he noticed that she was bare
| footed.
| He seated himself on a bench near
the doorway, vaguely watching his
men, as they unpacked and removed
| the saddles from the steaming mules
and gazing even beyond out over the
mountains to where rested a dense
bank of clouds, from which darted oc-
casional flashes Of lightning, followed
by low, believing peals of thunder that
rolled with great hollow echoes across
the heavens The rain fell on the
thatched roof above him with a muf-
fled, pattering sound, and he rested
there, lost in reverie, dreaming of her
who awaited him in a distant city-his
promised wife.
After awhile Chonita came to the
door and told him that his supper was
ready Dreamily he heard her voice,
and raised his head. She stood with
her dark hair falling in disordered
mass over her shoulders, one bare arm
half raised and resting on the door sill,
her body partly turned, showing the
beautiful lines of her figure as she hes
itated, as though fascinated by his
look, and gazed into his eyes as a lit
l chilli roioht mr.
was to her a strange attraction about
this Americana, this man Of the Saxon
race, who was SO unlike the men of her
own, that caused her heart to flutter
wildly. He looked at her for a long
while, and then arose. She drew aside
to allow him to pass into the house,
and, as he did so, a gust of wind blew
her hair across his face.
During the months that followed
Rawlston became frequent visitor at
the little rancho, stopping over night
while travelling between the mines and
Guadalupe Y Calvo.
One afternoon, as the glory of the
sunset spread slowly across the valley,
| Rawlston rode up to rancho, where,
finding no one at home, he left his mule
| and climbed the trail that led to a lit
tie spring in gulch back of the house.
Chonita was there filling an ola, but
she did not hear him as he approached,
not until he stood at her side. Then
she started. and as she arose she
slipped on the wet clay, and would
have fallen had he not caught her in
his arms.
He felt her tremble as he held her,
and drew her closer to him, asking:
"Are you hurt, Chonita?'
mo, senor," she replied.
He saw her lips culver, and, as she
raised her face to his, he read from the
depths of her eyes her secret, and he
bent and kissed her, murmuring
Sweetheart Then he released her
and stood leaning against a tree,
watching her as she descended the
trail
He had not been totally unconscious
of her love, though at first it seemed to
him but the admiration of a mere child;
but now he understood, and it wrought
a strange influence over him.
He knew that his love was strong
and true for the woman who alone
bound him to the life he had left be-
hind, yet he felt how easy it would be,
were it not for her, to drift into the
customs and adopt the modes and NOR
ais of the people of that fair Mexican
land, for there was a certain charm in
their easy-going, languorous life, with
it's beauty and it's restfulness, that had
appealed to him from the very first. In
some strange way that he could not I'M
! 6arGt n vet ifI,
fectly natural to him, he longed to re.
main there, away from the world, as il
were, until the end; and he pictured
her, his affianced wife, there with him
and-he laughed. His reverie was not
broken; the woman alone changed, an6
wondered what life would be with
Chonita just for time.
And Chonita she reached the house
and hurried to her room, where she
dropped on her knees before a little
shrine. ooh. Dios!" she said, IT an
so glad! What have l done that
should be so happy! Thank you, Godr
Slowly might came on. Supper wa.
over, and the room was but diml,
lighted by a sputtering tallow dip anc
the family Pickering blaze in the oper
: fire in the jacal adjoining. Rawlstor
leaned back in his chair slowly smokins
, and watching Chonita as she moves
about putting away the supper things
| and be became duly conscious of a de
sire to take her in his arms again, t,
: hold her and feel her tremble
After a while she brought him a en-
of coffee and took from his saddle-ba.
a flask of cognac that he always carried
there, and placed it on the table at hi
side. He touched her hand, and int
her eyes came look of longing, almos
passionate, and her lips parted a
/ though to speak, but her father enter
ing the room, she turned away AM
sank in a huddled heap on the floor a
, the kitchen door.
Juan had been cleaning the rifle
which Rawlston had allowed him to us
a for week past, and seating himself a
. the table, giving the gun a few finish
ing touches with greasy rag, he ex
E claimed: "Ah, senor it is a grand CUR
Madre de Dios, but the shots 1 made
r l would give my soul for such onev'
= mot being the devil Juan, L canno
take your soul, but what else will yor
give?" said Rawlston.
"Senor, l have nothing but my tw
burroS and a cow might snare a fitt1