The record-union., 1897-09-05
ATONEMEnT

My first visit to California was made
in the summer Of 1854. Business called
me there, and remembering that Hum
boldt Fuller, my old college chum, lived
in the town of l., | managed to
stop a few days with him. He well
coined me most cordially to his bachelor
home, kept in good order by rather
sharp featured, nasal-voiced woman,
and we talked or smoked on the veran-
| da, or went fishing, or climbed noun
tains. Thus several days passed, and
l had not yet asked the question which
more than once came to my lips, why
my chum, fine, frank fellow, VINO
could have had a wife for the asking,
| had not in all these years married. OF
course he was settled comfortably, but
| a housekeper is not wife, as every
! body knows.
1t was on one of those so1tiy warm
afternoons, when we were lounging un-
! der the shade of the vines on the We
randa, recalling old college days, that
Mrs. Ball. the housekeeper came up
the garden walk She looked rather
| peculiarly at Hum, l thought, as she
! said in her high-keyed voice, There's
! been g runaway down there"
Down where?" asked Hum. indif-
ferantly
AT the druggists. The horses were
coming at full run down the HILL and
turning the corner. struck pile of
lumber, and the carriage was upset"
Anybody hurt?'
Il dunno as there is, but 1 thought
maybe you'd like to go and see for
yourself"
why should I? I'm not a bone-set-
| ter. A crowd gathered at once, I sup
pose? There might be a surgeon
among them" Then, catching Mrs.
Balls significant look, he threw away
his cigar, and who did you say it
was?" he asked.
Il didn't say. You didn't ask 1t
was Mr. De Forest and his daughter"
With an exclamation that sounded
very like by thunder" Hum dashed
down the steps and out of the gate, be-
| fore [ had time to realize what had
! happened
Mrs. Ball looked after him and So
| lilOquized I suspected as much, and
now I am sure of it. 1t took him by
surprise, because he didn't know she
was home. She's been in San Fran
cisco to school; reckon she's finished
by this time
What is it that you know, which
you have heretofore suspected?" 1 ask
ed. is Mr.. Fuller interested in Miss
De Forest?"
Perhaps Mr. Fuller would rather tell
you himself, if there's anything to tell"
remarked the housekeeper, as she left
me.
1t was an hour before Hum came
back, with a subdued excitement in his
manner. 1T was a narrow escape he
explained. and all from that mans un-
pardonable recklessness. He persists
| in driving half-broken colts that no.
body else would think it sane to handle.
l told him he had no right to risk her
/ life even if he had no regard for his
! own. It's two months since I have
seen that dear child, but l never saw
her more beautiful than she was to-day,
excited, with all the people around her.
| bravely protesting that she was not in
the least hurt. ] wish | We're sure of
thar. We will drive out there to-mor-
row and for ourselves"
Ny dear fellow" I said. you speak
in enigmas. Can you present me to
this young lady, this heroine of run
away more formally? AT a hint from
/ Mrs. Ball you disappear without cere-
mony. Now. you rave of her beauty
and bravery. and arouse all my curl
osity. l hope I may be pardoned for
asking who she is
Frank, am sorry for you, that you
have not the pleasure of Ellen De
| Forests acquaintance. She is the finest
girl 1 ever saw, or you either, begging
your wife's pardon. Not only is her
beauty of face and form matchless, in
| her motions she is witchery itself, like
some deer or rare bird. And her mind
and her character are as fair as her
! face. / know her entire history 1t is
a wonderful story, too, which after you
have seen her 1 will tell you. We will
drive out to their house tomorrow,
about five miles from here. De Forest
| has one of the finest places in Northern
California l want you to see, besides,
our best type of farming, where there
is plenty of money to do things with.
He, that is, Ellen's father, has magni-
! ficent horses and cattle and grounds
kept like an English park"
l asked no more questions, but no
ticed all the evening that my friend
was absent minded, so that the recall
/ ing of college pranks did not interest
him. There is girl in the case, after
ALL" I thought, and naturally I was
impatient to see this rare creature, who
combined so many virtues with such
great beauty.
Early the next morning the carriage
was brought to the door We would
drive, Hum said. rather than ride, be-
cause we were going to talk.
The way was through a pleasant
country, over a fine macadamized road.
DE Forest made this driveway at his
! own expense" said my friend. He
does nothing by halves. He has be-
come very wealthy out of his mines.
and he spends his money freely, with
common sense and liberality So after
buying his farm over there, the first
thing he does is to make a good road
to town He enjoys a gallop over it
once or twice every pleasant day.
Hello, Frank Yonder he comes. on
/ the big gray, and Ellen, too, on her
/ pony. AS usual, racing like a couple
of children"
Looks as if they were not suffering
much from their upset, I said.
That's So" said Hum: and looks
! like a postponement of our call. We
will make them stop and speak to us.
/ anyhow; and mind. you take good
! look at Ellen Frank"
AS the riders approached / had time
to observe two remarkable persons. Mr..
De Forest was large, powerful
man: broad -shouldered, with a mag
nifcent chest He might have been
/ 30 years old, and his hair and whiskers