The herald., 1896-02-16

the fireplace and poking into the hole'
in the wall, but finally he dragged d
table across the floor and mounting i
thrust his head through tear in the
cloth. de was on level with the tor
OF the adobe walls now, and reachini
across it, he dug grave in the adobe
and buried his sack under one O
the rafters. When it was done, he
sat down with his hat over his eyes
and his hands in his pocket and triec
to think OF all that his good fortune
would mean-of the joys that it would
bring him-of what he would do wheI
he could use it-but the face of his vic
tim kept rising before him, and lurk-
ing fear that he might after all be 6
murderer. And beside all his brave
talk, he could not deny that there was
danger that he might be discovered
His thoughts grew so uncomfortable
that he went outside. His mother
shook her head in answer to his ques.
tioning glance. 81 am afraid he ia
lead, Manuel" she whispered, but the
boy only laughed. II am going to the
store for the -four" he said. nobody
shall thing l am hiding" And he went
out and caught one of the bare-ribbed
horses which were lauguidly nibbling
the parched stubble.
He kept his eyes fixed on the syca-
mores as he rode down the canyon,
and once he almost stopped and turned
his horses head as if to ride over to
the trees, but he wheeled him back into
the road and giving him vicious cut,
gslloped away.
1t was dusk when he returned. As
he approached the door, he heard
sound and looking through the gloom
he saw his mother kneelipg before the
rude lithogrsph of the Virgin, which
hung in the hall. He caught the gleam
Of something white in her hands, and
knew that it vas her chiefest treasure,
rosary aud cross which had belonged
to her aunt, nun, long since dead, and
whose name she always added to the
list Of saints in her prayers. But who
shall say that her heart cry did not
reach the Divine ear, ignorant and
erring though it might be?
The son did not enter the room.
Sitting under the tree he waited until
she came out. 1t WAS dark now except
for the light of the new moon and the
silent stars. He saw that she wore her
rebosa and that she carried something
in her hands.
manuel" she spoke softly, 81 am
going to see if the man is still there
if he is alive" "He is gone ty this
time" Manuel answered, land suppose
he is there?--would you bstray me?
Do you want me to be caught?"
mo, no, Msnuel-I will tell him
nothing-but must see if he is there
he may suffer-perhaps might save
him--snd oh, Manuel-let me take the
gold back. We don't want it. 1t will
only bring US trouble" He answered
her angrily, but he prepared to accom-
pany her. Silently they stole down
the wash. AS they came near the trees
they could see the dark object there
under the shadow. The man stopped
with sinking heart. He had not in
tended to commit murder. He had
only thought of the Rold-was he a
murderer then? For the first time in
his life he realized that human life
was precions thing, and that he could
not by any means undo the thing he
had done. The woman went forward and
kneeling by the prostrate form passed
her hand, not without shudder, over
the man and took the limp hand in
hers. Then she moistened the dry lips
With the water she had brought and
bathed the face. There was faint
fiutter Of breath, and she whispered,
HE is not dead, Manuel, the saints be
praised" The young man came to her
side with sudden revulsion of feel
ing; if the man was not dead he might
awake and accuse them of the robbery
the assault. 1t would be better for him
if the man did not awake at all. He
many things while his mother
continued to chafe the hands and ad-
minister water and the whisky which
she had found to the unconscious man.
At last the patient sighed and stirred.
Then Manuel grasped his mothers
arm. "Come," he commanded, "if he
wakes he will know-I will be lost"
The woman rose to her feet. 1t was
trl.e, she knew, in all probability if the
man came back to consciousness and
found them by his side he would at
tribute his loss to them. 1t would
mean imprisonment-death-perhaps
to Manuel-snd he was her all; the
only child left of the nine she had
borne. But if she left now, the wounded
man would die, she felt sure of it. 1t
was terrible moment for the poor
she tried to make one
more appeal to her SOD, but he
demanded fiercely. "Are you coming?
II you stay here shall go into the
shall never be taken
alive-but then no one could ever
catch me in the mountains" "But he
will die, Manuel, if I leave him-we
would be his murderers them should
be-" But Manuel had walked rapidly
away. She called after him, but he did
not respond, and she knelt by the
miner, uttering a prayer to the Virgin,
and again ministering to the sick man.
Manuel went directly to the house;
be would take the sack and escape at
once. He came of family of Indian
Itwould be very easy mat
ter for him to make his way to Mexico
through the mountains, and no white
man could hope to find him, once in
the depths the mountains. But his
mother? He would leave her alone
and helpless. How could she live with
put him?
Sitting down in the door he fought
out the battle of his life. All the in
stincts of his Indian ancestry, all the
narrowness and ignorance of his life;
The Incidence and avarice that poe
sessed him-and against these was only
his mother, and the strain of gentle
blood which came to her through her
father. Heather as he was. Manuel
Rsfugio believed in his mother and in
her religion-in her God-and His hea-
ven. He knew nothing of these things
INIT what she had tauohc him from har