Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1897-01-06
After she hac promised to marry the

ment were kept secret. Sne eouiu
keep 1t quiet, because it was IN the
good old days and news Travelled SLOWLY
and distances were great.
Mrs. Locke was nothing to be proud
of; but Betty, who detested her moth
er and all her mothers family, liked
her uncle we'll enough, and got along
famdrisly with him despite his temper.
She could herself understand how life
with one of the Franquelos might
change naturally placid disposition.
On the second day of her stay her
aunt took her to stay over night with
Sonora Franquelo in Tucson. Which
was the beginning.
The Franquelo family was large, ana
most of it dwelt in the one house-all
adobe with the external whitewash
broken off in oddly shaped pieces, and
built as all adobes were built in the
good old days-one story around 4
court yard There was nothing In the
court yard but chickens and ollas-
broken and otherwise-for the soil OF
the narrow doorway faced upon the
street, hardly less white under the
| burning sun than the whitened walls
that lined it, mocking bird cage OF
willow hung against the house, with a
red chile stuck between It's bars. II
was the first time Betty had beer under
| the ancestral roof.
Besides her grandmother, who was
more unpleasant than the aunts, there
were cousins, male and female. vi
these. two-second cousins-were In
love. They were Carlos and Ines. In
less than ten minutes Carlos had de
serted black proved Ines and was Ian
gushing at Betty with his two soft
eyes Ines was openly wretched, Car
los infatuated, Betty openly flirting
But Carlos did not know that.
| Betty and her aunt went back to
| Lowell the next day, and the same
evening Carlos rode over to the post
| to see her.
There were six officers calling on Miss
Vaudeville, so Carlos sat apart and
sulked; but he outstayed them all
When they had gone, after supper OF
canned oyster stew and tamales, he
drew his chair close beside the sofa
upon which Betty was half reclining.
ivy do you like doze ooffeecers better
dan me?" he asked her.
II don't" said Betty, "they're a bore. y
do you moot, truly?'
"Of course | don't; how could ]? p
Carlos was not accustomed to Betty's
like, and, as even those who should
have known better had believed hel
because of her round, blue eyes, he was
not to be blamed for his faith. "Would
| you raider talk to meT'
"A great deal rather"
"But dey hat stayed so late dat
must soon CO."
tits not late. It's only half past
| twelve. 1t would be too bad of you tc
go just when we begin to get a chance
to settle down for a nice, cozy talk"
Carlos persisted coyly, But you wee
weesh to Sleep"
Every WELL" Miss Vaudeville shrug
ged her shoulders, then you had better
go. Ines may get angry if you stay
and you like her more than you do me- >
Carlos denied this in words that were
neither kind nor just to Ines; but Betty
damned her with faint praise.
She was not a clever conversational
ist, nor was Carlos Franquelo, but they
kept each other interested until very
late, and when Carlos went home. Betty
stepped out to the front porch with him
and put her hand in his, with the least
bit of 6 pressure.
Can l KEGS you?" Carlos asked
boldly.
II suppose so-because we're cousins
you know" Betty assured him, as she
raised her innocent face to his hand
some Mexican one.
He whispered, 81 lofe you, oh! | lofe
you. You are beautiful beautiful, "
and Betty laughed little, and told him
he was silly, when they had only known
each other for two days.
Now, with Betty's beauty and other
attractiyeness, 1t was natural that she
should have great deal of attention
from the bachelors, but Carlos devo-
tion was SO marked that they drew off
one by one, leaving the field pretty
much to him. They resented Bettys
permitting the young Mexican to follow
her about necessarily, even though he
were a second cousin AS for the girl,
until 1t was too late she did not see the
harm she was doing. Then all the Off
GERS had deserted her and there was
only Carlos. Well, Carlos was hand
some and good enough game, so she led
him on.
1t was not her fault, surely, that she
didn't know the ways of Mexican low
ers. She had told plenty of other men
that she loved them, and nothing had
happened, But one night she told this
to Carlos at his urgent request, and the
next day, at about stables" as she
was swinging lazily In the hammock on
the porch, she saw three buggies, con-
tanning two men each, coming up the
line. In the first sat Carlos and his