Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-06
A WIFE'S SISTER.


visit them, and the rest goes by itself
Mrs. Lorrilard had an unmarried sister.
She was very attractive. She was far more
attractive than Mrs. Lorrilard could have
BEEN The girls name was Spencer---May
Spencer She was Is years old, if you took
her word for it, and she was blond and
pink and white and plump. She came
from some place in Ohio, and she visited
the Lorrilards at Stanton, which is in New
Mexico, 100 miles from the railroad, across
Dead Mans valley-there is always Dead
Mans valley-and some steep hills and
lava bed mile wide. If you have never
seen a lava bed, you cannot appreciate
that. You might try to imagine the ocean
dashed into fury by simeon, then fancy
it's great waves and pillows and swells
changed suddenly to dark gray brown
stone at the height Of the storm, and you
may form a vague idea of what the lava
bed between Fort Stanton and the railroad
is like.
1t frightened Miss Spencer badly. The
ambulance went slipping, and sliding, and
coasting, and humping, and bounding
over the one passable part in a way that
only an ambulance conducted by a driver
who has spent his life on Arizona and New
Mexico roads could possibly stand. 1t put
all the laws of centripetal force and of
equilibrium at naught. 1t and tho four
mules were laws unto themselves.
Miss Spencer was not accustomed to
that sort Of thing. She stood it as long as
she could and then she told Major Roche
in whose charge she was travelling, that
she meant to get out and walk. She had
bothered the major good deal already,
and he was getting tired, so he did not say
anything, but simply told the driver to
"slow up" and let Miss Spencer get out
by herself
She fell behind after a moment, and the
ambulance went relentlessly on, creaking,
tapping its canvas, clanking it's chains,
its brake screeching shrilly. And as it dis
appeared, sometimes lost to sight in a great
hollow, sometimes toiling up a smooth
face OF lava, Miss Spencer felt herself
abandoned indeed in New Mexico desert
under that terrible midsummer sun. The
heat was fiery, scorching, parching. The
sky was like hot blue glass. She wondered
why, when the lava was hot enough to
burn her feet through the soles of her
shoes it did not melt or grow soft. She
kept on walking because she was afraid to
stop. Twice she slipped and fell and cut
her hands. Under the porous, piled up
rock, rabbits and owls and quail were hid
den; there were snakes too, and lizards
At first she was frightened when they
scurried to her, but soon with her head
ringing and her eyes dazed with congcstcd
blood and her mouth open and as dry as
-four she did not even notice them.
She reached the end of the huge rock
river at last and found the ambulance
waiting. The driver was asleep, and the
major was drinking beer. He offered her
some, and when she had drunk it she held
out her broad little foot.
"My shoes are all cut to pieces, and they
were new and awfully heavy.
"You should have kept STILL" he an
swered
Now Miss Spencer wanted sympathy,
and when she didn't get it she took dis
like to the major, and because she disliked
him she eventually made him sorry
For the first fortnight of her visit she
was not pretty. She was sunburned from
her passage of the lava sea. Her face was
red and swollen, then blotchy and lastly
peely. After that she returned to the nor
NAL pink and white. She was the only girl
at the post, and there We're q bachelor, q
brevet bachelor, young contract surgeon
and Major Roche's son. The bachelor Off
Ger was studious--a kind that has much
faith and thinks that the great fathers in
Washington will reward heutenants who
pass high exams and have ideas on Indi-
ans. He had no time for young women.
He paid his one call and retired. The bre-
vet bachelor is peculiar to the service. His
wife is back east, visiting her family. He
differs from the real article only in that
he is ineligible He was devoted to Miss
Spencer, but he did not count There was
also the contract surgeon. OF course he
was only contract surgeon. Still he was
tall and blond and had beguiling south
ern drawl. He fell in love with Miss Spen-
Ger.
But the exciting part of the story hinges
on Major Roches son. He was 20, and he
was no use on earth. He was just a boy
and never would be anything more. He
had failed in everything he had ever I'M
dertaken He couldn' even dance, and he
was afraid Of a three foot acequia when he
rode. He depended on his papa for every
thing and he thought he knew women
through and through. Probably Provi-
dence sent Miss Spencer to show him that
he didn't. But the Ways Of Providence are
inscrutable, and can't be sure
Well, the contract surgeon fell in love
with Miss Spencer; but, like Viola, he
never told his love. Now, as the bachelor
was hidden, Miss Spencer couldn't fall in
love with him, and no one could have fall
en- In love with Teddy Roche, SO she re-
ciprocated the contract surgeons passion.
His name was Randolph--C Ran
dolph, to match his nice blue eyes and his
charming drawl His courtship was Of the
eternally on hand sort The life of q gar
rison offers even greater advantages for
this than that of southern town. He was
with Miss Spencer from guard mounting
until long after taps. But Miss Spencer
pined to see more Of him.
"Mr. Randolph, believe you're lazy"
ooh, now--Miss May--whyp That isn't
kind" He gazed at the flag on the flag
staff tenderly and dwelt unsteady on each
word
Because"
ut is the privilege of lady to give that
reason" His eyes sought the tennis court
In tender, blue abstractedness.
well, know you are
Won't YOU have pity on me and tell
me whyP"
Because you never are UP until almost
guard mount I
"Oh, deah, yes, am I 60 over to the
hospital at sick call, you know
why don't ever see you thens'
Perhaps you have not risen yourself. /"
Pm always up at reveille."
No! Goodness. Why on earth do you do
thatS''
4 believe y0u 20 over to the hospital
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