Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-30
CHAPTER vII.-Continued.

CIaI lEh Nll.-COnVlnue0.
BY o'clock Steptoe was at "The Three
Boulders," where he got fast horse and gal
loped into San Felipe by 4. AS he descended
the last slope through the Businesses OF pines
toward the little valley overlooked In Its
remoteness and purely pastoral simplicity by
the gold-seeking immigrants-its seclusion
ne one of the furthest north Californian mis-
sions still preserved through It's insignihcance
and the efforts OF the remaining brother
hood, who used 1t as an infrmary and a
school for the few remaining Spanish fam
illes-he remembered how he once blundered
upon 1t with the boy while hoty pursued by
hue and cry from one Of the larger towns,
and how he found sanctuary there. He re-
membered how, when the pursuit was over,
he had placed the boy there under the
PADRES charge. He had lied to his wife re-
garding the whereabouts OF her son, but
he had spoken truly regarding his free eX-
penditure for the boys maintenance, and the
good fathers had accepted, equally for the
child's sake as for the churchs sake, the
generous restitution" which this coarse,
powerful, ruffianly looking father was ap-
parently seeking to make.
He was quite aware OF 1t at the time, and
had equally accepted It with grim cynicism
but 1t now came back to him with new
and emarting significance. Might they, too,
not succeed In weaving the boys affection
from him, or II the mother had interfered,
would they not side with her in claiming
an equal right? He had sometimes laughed
to himself over the security of this hiding
place SO unknown and so unlikely to be
discovered by her, yet within easy reach OF
her friends and his enemies he now ground
his teeth over the mistake which his doting
desire to keep his son accessible to him had
caused him to make. He put the spurs to
his horse dashed down the little, narrow,
I'll paved street, through the deserted plaza,
and pulled up in a cloud OF dust before the
only remaining tower, with its cracked belfry,
OF the half ruined mission church new
dormitory and school building had been ex-
tended from its walls, but in subdued,
harmonious, modest way, quite unlike the
usual garing "whitepine" glories OF pro
vincial towns. Steptoe laughed to himself
bitterly. Some of his money had gone in 1t.
He seized the horsehair rope dangling
from bell by the wall and rang 1t sharply,
A softfooted priest appeared-Fr. Domenlco.
eddy Horncastle? All! yes Eddy, dear
child, was gone"
'Gone!" shouted Steptoe in a voice that
startled the padre. Where? When? With
whom?''
Pardon. senor, but for a time-only
pasear to the next village. 1t is his saints
day-he has a half holiday. He is a good
boy 1t is a little pleasure for him and for
u.s.
"ohr' said Steptoe, softened into rough
apoIogy. ~ forgot All right. Has he had
any visitors lately-lady, for instance?
Fr. Domenico cast a look half OF fright
half of reproval upon his guest.
"a lady here!"
In his relief Steptoe burst into coarse
laugh "Of course; you see / forgot that,
too / was thinking of one Of his woman
folks-you know, relatives-aunts. Was
there any other visitor?"
"Only one All! we know the senior
rules regarding his son."
"One?" repeated Steptoe. who was it?'
20, quite hidago-an old friend OF the
child's-most polite, most accomplished,
fluent in Spanish. perfect In department
The Senor Horncastle surely could find
nothing to object to. Fr. Pedro was
charmed with him. A man OF affairs, and
yet a good Catholic, too. 1t was Senior
Van Loo-Don Paul the boy called him,
and they talked of the boys studies in the
old days as if-indeed, but for the stranger
being a caballero and man of the world
as II he had been his teacher"
It was a proof OF the intensity Of the
fathers feelings that they had passed be-
yond the power of his usual coarse, brutal
expression, and he only stared at the priest
with duh, red face, in which the blood
seemed to have stagnated. Presently he
said, thickly: when did he Gomez"
"a few days ago."
(which way did Eddy go?"
ITO Browns Mills, scarcely league away.
He will be here-even now-on the instant.
But the senior will come into the refectory