The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-05-29

shall erride it for you, Pancho," she
said. 81 shall feel" she continued,
with exalted but although somewhat
vague poetry, that it is of you. You
lofe the beast; it is therefore of a neces-
sity to you, my Pancho! 1t is your
soul shall erride like the wings of the
wind; your lofe in this beast shall be
my only cavalier forever"
I would have preferred something
whose vicarious qualities were less un-
certain than I still felt Chu Chu's to be,
but kissed the dear girls hand sub
missively. 1t was only when l at
tempted to accompany her in the flesh,
on another horse, that / felt the full
force of my instructive fears. Chu Chu
would not permit any one to approach
her mistress side. My mounted pres
ence revived in her G1l her old blind
astonishmcnt and disbelief in my ex-
istence She would start suddenly,
face about and back away from me in
utter amazement, as if had been only
recently created, or with an affected
modesty, as if l had been just guilty
of some grave indecorum toward her
sex which she really could not stand
The frequency of these exhibitions in
the public highway were not only dis
tressing to me as simple escort, but
as it had the effect on the casual spec
tators of making Consuelo seem to par
ticipate in Chu Chu's objections, felt
that Us lover, it could not be borne.
Any attempt to coerce Chu Chu ended
in her running away. And my frantic
pursuit of her was open to equal mis-
construction. go it, Miss; the little
dude is gainin' on you," shouted by a
drunken teamster to the frightened
Consuelo, once checked me in mid ca
reer. Even the dear girl herself saw
the uselessness of my real presence,
and after while, was content to ride
with my soul"
Notwithstanding this, | am not
ashamed to say that it was my custom
whenever she rode out to keep stink
ing and distant surveillance of Chu
Chu on another horse, until she had
fairly settled down to her pace. A lit
tie nod of Consuelo's round, black and
red toreador hat, or kiss tossed from
her riding whip was reward enough!
I remember a pleasant afternoon
when l was thus awaiting her in the
outskirts of the village. The eternal
smile of the California summer had be-
gun to waver and grow less fixed; dust
lay thick on leaf and blade; the dry
hills were clothed in russell leather;
the trade winds were shifting to the
south with an ominous warm humidi-
ty; few days longer and the rains
would he here. 1t so CHANGED that
this afternoon my seclusion on the
roadside was accidentally invaded by
a village belle, western young lady
somewhat older than myself, and of
flirtatious reputation. AS she per-
sistently and as now have reason to
believe, mischievously fingered,
had only passing glimpse of
Consuelo riding past at an unaccus-
toned speed which surprised me at the
moment. But as reasoned later that
she was only trying to avoid merely
formal meeting, l thought no more
about it. 1t was not until called at
the house to fetch Chu Chu at the
usual hour and found that Consuelo
had not returned that a recollection of
Chu Chu's furious pace troubled me.
An hour passed. 1t was getting to-
ward sunset, but there were no signs
of Chu Chu nor her mistress. became
seriously alarmed. l did not care to
reveal my fears to the family, for felt
myself responsible for Chu Chu. At
last l desperately saddled my horse
and galloped off in the direction she
had taken. 1t was the road to Rosario
and the hacienda of one of her rela-
tions where she sometimes halted.
The road was q very unfrequented
one, twisting like a mountain river
indeed it was the bed of an old water
course-between brown hills and wild
oats and debouching at last into a
broad blue lake-like eXpanse OF alfalfa
meadows. In vain l strained my eyes
over the monotonous level; nothing ap-
peared to rise above or move across it.
In the faint hope that she might have
fingered at the hacienda was squirting
on again when heard slight splash
ing to my left. | looked around. A
broad patch Of fresher-colored herbage
and cluster of dwarfed alders in
dicated a hidden spring. cautiously
approached it's quaggy edges when
was shocked by what appeared to be a
sudden visionl Mid-leg deep in the
center of a greenish pool stood Chu
Chul But without strap or buckle
of harness upon her-as naked as when
she was foaled!
For a moment could only stare at
her in bewildered terror. Far from
recognizing me she seemed to be abb
sorbed in nymph-like contemplation
of her own graces in the pool. Then
called: 'Consuelol" and galloped fran
tically around the spring. But there
was no response-nor was there any
thing to be seen but the all uncon-
scious Chu Chu: The pool-thanl
Heaveni was not deep enough to
have drowned anyone; there were no
signs of struggle on its quaggy edges.
The horse might have come from a dis
tance. galloped on, still calling. A
few hundred yards further / detected
the vivid glow of Chu Chu's scarlet sad
die blanket In the brush near the
trail Ny heart leaped 1Mas-on the