The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-01-16
LITTLE AMERICANA.
By OLIVE GCNBY.

there"
And Atwood will be home by the
time we get back, " calculated Atwood's
guest, who had sought the Concho ranch
as q restorative for exhausted energies.
Thanks. I'll make the trip"
The city man of affairs and the mus
tang hunter had camped together for a
week without seeing q sign Of human
habitation, when II morning they
came across a flock of sheep feeding
among the thick leaved cactus ON a high
plateau.
lin good condition, too" commented
King. "Some n must reap the benefit
Of the WOOL
His companions eyes, however, had
noticed something more interesting than
sheep.
"A girlr' he exclaimed. And she
isn't a Mexican, either. I'm going to
talk to her
Dismounting and leading his horse he
overlook the young person, who was hur-
rying away from them.
Good morning." he said. I'VE are
strangers here and would like to speak
to you. Is the lamb sick?'-noticing
the little creature she held in her arms,
whose head she was stroking with one
brown hand.
mo; he isn't sick, but his mother is
dead. I'm going to feed him at home.
lis your home far from here?"
"No. Just under the bluff"
She spoke in good English, but with
a slight foreign accent.
"Show us the way, please" said
| Holt. 1--WE would like to speak to your
people. We have not exchanged a word
with any one since we crossed the Di-
vide"
The girl hesitated and flushed Grim
son.
"You are welcome" she said, but
Miguel is cross and doesn't like stran-
gers"
SIS Miguel your brother?'
"Oh, no. l never had q brother, and
my father is now long dead. Roderigo,
Anita and Miguel are Mexicans.'
Let US go with you.' urged Holt.
The abode to which she conducted
them was set SC completely in under the
bluff hat the trail led down over a part
Of the roof. A thick clump of cedars hid
it from the view of any one across the
river.
When the hunters stopped to tie their
horses, King cautioned his companion
against trusting these Mexicans.
Il think we can trust to these re-
;1S-ol Hole tc,,lirr hcc -icto1 CT
mean to find out what this girl is doing
here. l believe there is some mystery
about it,
They walked in under the shade Of
the porch, canopied with cedar boughs
supported on upright poles.
On a broad bench set against the out
er wall a man lay asleep with his hat
tilted over his eyes. A middle aged
Mexican woman was speaking excitedly
to the girl in Spanish, but she smiled at
the salutation of the visitors and mo-
toned them to step within. Three sides
of the living room and the roof were
formed Of the solid rock Of the bluff,
but an open door showed another apart
ment, perhaps two others, whose wide
open windows let in light and air.
Hollis exploring eyes caught sight Of
several bound volumes on a shelf.
The noise of their spurs on the stony
ground or their voices reused the sleeper
outside, and as he entered the door the
hunters recognized a f%orbidding looking
Mexican, who had passed them OF a
narrow trail a few days before. This
was evidently Miguel. who was "cross"
today, and who had been imbibing too
much strong drink. Upon Hollis ex-
planning that their visit was a social
one, and ~endeavoring to draw him into
conversation, he replied CURLY in tOlera-
BILE English and shortly betook himself
again to his bench outside.
"Get the whisky from the saddlebags
and make things pleasant for him while
l talk to the women,' Holt whispered
to King, and from Anita, as she tended
her pots suspended over the open fire,
he learned that the little AmericanO's
father was killed by a fall from his
horse many years before; that ROderigo,
her husbands father, who had waited
on the signor for long, had then sent
beyond the Rio for her to take care of
the child. The kindly face looked wor-
ried as she spoke Of her charge, and
Judging from Miguel's boisterous laugh
ter at Kings jokes that he was being
propitiated Holt intimated that he
would like to speak with the young lady.
"Certez, certez," agreed the woman.
smiling. 1.-THE senorita a lonely is all &c
day." And she pointed through the open
window Of the adjoining room.
The girl was fondling the face Of q
finely formed cream white mare, al
whose side stood a colt, a tiny copy Of
its mother. "Muncino always comes
down from the bluff for water every day
at this time" she said, STOPPING to IN
loose the hobble from the fore legs Of
the animal.
"Do you ride her much:" asked Holt
as the mare moved away.
II used to, but for a long time now
am hardly allowed to 60 out Of Anita
sight. When I do ride, Roderigo goes
too, and he likes not to ride fast"