The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1897-04-30

hltlchiuruS' the young man re-
pcatfd Are you-is he-z?" Then
recoi,ccting himself, he stopped.
Louise glanced up into her cempan-
.ons face, but he turned IT away, and
when he looked arOona again all the
surprise had died out Of it and he was
rs calm rs ever. g.
DO Won know the Blhchfords?"
Louise asked
"Yhy. have met old Mr.. Blatchford
oceI sion-.ly. Ia fact, he Eas transacted
some business with the house with
WI n am connected He is a banker,
think"
Yes, sir. At least he was. We
have not heard much from him Of late"
"Indeed? he is a relative, too?"
He is my grandfather"
"Ah! Wen, that is your home lust be-
fore us, I presume; so l will ride on.
Good day" and he lifted his hat, when
he had mounted to his saddle, and
can,ered away.
When he was gone Louise was sorry
that She had not asked him more about
her grandfather, for in spite Of the
heartlcss way in which he had treated
her parents, She had tender spot in
her heart for the old man. She would
like to have known whether he was
well and happy, at least, and that
much the stranger might have told her.
But 1t was too late now, and She went
on home and told her mother of her lit
tie adventure and of the stranger.
Harry Pearson" Mary mused. mo
/ do not know anything of him. In fact,
/ | do not remember any Pearsons among
my acquaintance at home"
That was all Mary said, but the men
ton Of her fathers name had set her to
thinking and all that evening She went
about with sad, distressed air, and
more than once a long-drawu sigh
escaped her, and often she lifted her
coarse apron to her eyes to wipe away
the gathering tears.
ooh, father, father" she walled in
spirit, chow can you be so cruel and un-
feeling as to disown your only child and
fll your house with strangers. Surely,
surely, if you knew how I love you and
how your conduct hurts me, you would
not be so cold and forgetful."
Through all of the poor woman's suf-
ferings, and after all her fathers neg
lect and cruelty, she loved him still.
He had trampled her love in the dust,
repelled and thrown her from him, lacer-
ated and bruised her heart, but she still
retained for him the love of daughter,
and but a word or token of kindness
from him would have sent her flying to
his arms.
Harry Pearson mused, as he rode
across the prairie, on the event of that
evening and the discovery to which it
had led, and his thoughts ran like this:
There is no doubt of it-not the
least. These Greens are old Blatch-
ford's folks, and that girls mother is
the one we've robbed. Robbed? That's
putting it pretty strong but after all
that's about what it is; we're living
there on the fat of the land at old
Blatchford's expense, while his own
daughter is living n dogs life out here
in this outlandish place. It's q shame,
and old BIatchford ought to be pun
ished for being such an old heathen.
He's the one that's to blame, and not
us. OF course some people who strain
point might tell Blatchford that he is
a fool and refuse to accept the favors
that he ought TO bestOw elsewhere but
| don't seem to have as fine a sense OF
justice as that. feel sorry for these
poor devils OF Greens and | sympathize
with them, but it would be little toe
incouvenicnt to go back on the old mans
Kindness and generosity and renouncC
it in their favor, so ! guess III just Civ,
them my sympathy in return for th'
money that is rightfully theirs, and con
tinue to live at Biatchford's expense
Some people might consider it rathe
shabby in me, and for that matter gues
good many who are acquainted witt
the circumstances think that way al
ready; but that is nothing in compari
son to living in poverty. No, it ma.
not be exactly honest and manly to liv
as | do, but it's blamed nice and easy
and that's the main point, anyhow.
"But about that girl. She's pretty
and somehow I've taken a fancy to her
She's an innocent little soul, and as cor
iding as lamb. AS soon as saw he
that evening down there with tha
farmer, felt an interest in her SUP
pose, though, she don't have much of
liking for me. ! noticed that, too, tina
evening. If she knew me and kney
what relation exists between us, CUES
she would like me good deal less, Bu
I'll manage to keep that secret; an
this business with Scraggs, too, tina
must be kept under cover. It's a goo'
thing to have tool TO bear the blam
in such matters, and old Scraggs is St
used to being cursed that it don't hnr
him, and besides, he gets pay 10
It, anyhow. must geJ up an eXcus
for coming out here to Green's. wan
to get better acquainted with the girl.
And all the way back the young ma
was busy trying to devise an excuse 70
/