Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-10-23


the pathway and never once looked
back.
The man rode ON to the hotel and
returned to real life as he asked il 9
valise and trunk had come and il
there were any letters for Nelson
Cameron. There was one. After he
had had his luncheon he sat on the
long piazza, from which the snow.
capped mountains could be seen
through the climbing roses, and read
it. But the letter was dull, and the
memory of the brown hair and eyes
that had always seemed the most beau.
tiful in the world paled beside that oi
two soft black braids and two orbs as
soft and as black. There was vagu
promise that the owners of the brown
hair and eyes might be in California,
too, ere long. Cameron was not so
pleased as he tried to think he was.
He began'to imagine the meeting of
that night.
1t came about. Old Manzelo and
his fat, black-wrapped wife did not
object to him in the least. He walked
for hours up and down the moonlit
road, with Alicia's hand in his and
went from her--a Lord Lovel on a
steed of glittering steel-at midnight.
The poison was in his blood. He
had eaten of the lotus, and he forgot
home and the past. He gave reckless
rein to the course of young blood.
And so q fortnight passed away.
There were no more letters. They
were being sent to Santa Barbara,
where he had told the brown-eyed
girl that the first weeks in March
would find him. He had not written
to her. He had meantto. But it was
the land of POGO tempo.
In pursuance Of the romance he was
living, he one day put on the dirty
overalls and coat of old Manzelo and
went with Alicia to the San Gabriel
railway station to wash and pack
oranges. Alicia was dressed in faded
dark blue, with yellow handkerchief
around her neck and pink bow in
her hair. She was very pretty, and
very open in accepting the opon devo-
ton of the American. It was still just
q lark for him. 1t was rather more
for her-a little more.
A tally-ho drove up to the station
and the driver stopped it, that his
party of tourists might watch one of
the really picturesque scenes left to
the United States. Some Of the wash.
ers looked up. Cameron and Alicia
Manzelo were talking together and
did not. Both were gazing light love
into each others eyes. The boss of
the gang came up to the tally-ho with
q handful of oranges. The finest one,
all wet and glistening with its scrub
bing, he offered to the girl on the
front seat.
"Thank you. What splendid
one!" she pi aised. ''I am so thirsty
that it will taste good"
May I peel it for you?" he asked,
with an infection that showed him
English at once.
He had not offered to peel them for
the others, but this was very beauti-
full woman, with brown hair and a
skin that reminded him of the women
at home. While he prepared it, she
looked at the workers. And when he
handed it to her:
"Thank you," she said again, ''and
can you tell me who that man by the
girl in the blue gown is? He is evil
1ontlv not a Maxicon ~
He wondered why she should care
to know, but he answered:
"No; he is an American. All can
tell you about him is that his name
seens to be Nelson. 1t is what the
girl calls him."
"The girl?"
eyes. It's picturesque Irritation,
I gathered from her father. 1t has
been going on for some weeks, and the
old man says Nelson, or whatever his
name really is, means to marry her.
But it is unsafe.
Every, should say" said the girl,
refectively.
"They rarely do, these whites that
make love to pretty Mexicans," added
the Englishman.
The pretty Mexican cast up hei
dark eyes just then and took notice oi
the tally-ho. She had known it was
there all along, but she had not been
interested in it.
"The lady on the front watch you,
she murmured to her companion.
Cameron glanced up. He caught
the unfaltering look OF the brown eyes,
and the scales-the rosy scales of ro'
mance-fell from his own. He
dropped the orange that he held into
the water in his tub and started to the
tally.ho. But he took only step,
then went back. The girl on the front
seat had turned to the others.
Cant we get out for while? I'm
sure we are all cramped and tired, and
I should like to watch this pretty scene
for n bit"
The Englishman helped her down,
but she thanked him and walked away.
Her manner implied that she would
make her own Investigations. She
wandered among the boxes and the
tubs and trays, hazarding word te
the washers here and there. Most Of
them did not understand her. She
came up finally beside Cameron's tub
and smoke to him. The on-lookers
fancied that she might be asking how
many oranges he had cleaned that day
Alicia a half dozen feet away at thu
end of the tray, was unconcerned. Sc
the Anglo-Saxon conducts his tragedy
"Tt is evidently more attractive here
than in Santa Barbara" the fair Amer
lean said, in cool. placid tones.
Cameron stammered.
eT can't blame you. 1t breaks m.
heart, of course. But that can't b.
hoined 7 can stand it-and bette