Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-04

and letters from home" In the Joyful
reception accorded to that herald of glad
ti5iugs. very few thought of the lonely
watcher on the sand dunes who dispatched
fh,m. or even knew of that deSolate sla-
ton.
For desolate it was beyond description
The Preside. with its voiceless. disTnount-
cd cannon and empty ernbrasures hidden
in hollow, and the mission Dolores WITH
its crumbling walls and helfry tower lost
IN another. made the ultima thule of all
san Francisco wandering The CHI House
AMI Fer Point did not then exist: from
Black Point the cUrving line of shore OF
''Yeria Euena''-or San Fraucisco-showed
criy a stretch of glittering wind-swcpt
sand dunes. interSperSeG with straggilns
crtllIeS of hIlf-fUTied black scrub oak.
The long six months summer sun hereby
beat upon il from the cloudless sky above:
the long six months trade winds herceiy
h~a; IDon 1t from the west: the monOtonouS
roll call of the long Pacific surges regu-
larry beat upon il from the sea. Almost
impossible 10 face by day through sliding
sands ana buhetin- winds, at night ii was
imTJcucahls through the dense sea fog
that stole softly through the Golden Gate
at sunset. Thence. un Ill morning. sea and
shore were 2 trackleSs waste. bounded only
by the warning thLnders of the unseen sea.
The station Itself, rUdely built cabin.
with two windowS-one furnished with a
teI"Scope-loOked like q heap of driftWood.
or a stranded wreck left by the retiring
sea; the seUaIhoIe-the only object for
lta@ucS-lifted above the uniuiating dunes.
took upon itself various shapes more
less gloomy. according to the hour
w,ather-a blasted uce. the masts and
Cil1SiEs spars of beached ship, dis
Inantied sallows, or. with the background
of 1t golden sunset across the gate, and its
arms cx,erded at right angles. to
mere hopeful fancy it might have seemed
th@ missionary cross which the enthusiast
Portala lifted on that heather shore
hundred years before.
\df Dick Iarrra0 he solitary
zion keeper. ever INDUCED this fancy. An
escaped convict frcm one of her Britannia
TajeSty's penal colonies. "stowaway" in
the hold of Australian ship. he had
landed p'nniless in San Francisco. fearful
q contact with his more honest country
men already there. and liable to detection
al any moment. Luckily for h.:n. the Eng
liSh Immigration consisted mainly OF gold
seekers IN route to Sacramento and the
southern mines. He was prudent enough
10 resist The temptation TO follow them.
and acct utcd the post of semaphore keeper.
n" first work offered him. which the mean
est Immigrant filled with dreams of gold.
would have -corned His employers asked
Etm no questions. and demanded no refer
eHc~s: his post could he scarcely deemed
cft- OF tTuSt-there was property for him
L. 9bScOnd with but the telescope; ne was
removed from temptation and evil company
In his lonely waste. His duties Were
mechanical as the instrument he worked.
ana interruption of them would he instant
" known ut San Francisco. For this he
would receive his board and lodging and
S'' month"; sum to he ridicuied in those
flush days but which seemed TO the
brnken-s Jirited and half-fanished stow
away princcly independence.
Ana then there was rest and security
1le vas free from that tcrturing anxiety
Eud fear of detection which had haunted
him night and dayfor three months. The
ceasel"ss vigilance ard wato hfuI dread he
had known since his escape he could Law
aside now. The rude cabin on the sand
RI nj Is-1er
70 some hunted animal. IT seemed impos-
ribi" that any one would seek him there
He was spared alike the contact OF his
enemies or the shame of recognizing even
n friendly face-until by each he would
be forgotten. From his coign of vantage
on that desOiate waste. and with the. aid
OF MS telescope. no stranger could an
prOach within two three miles of his
cabin Wit out undergoing his scrutiny
And at The worst, If he Was pursued here
tctore him was the trackless shore and
the boundlCss seal
And at times there was 2 certain sat
iSiacjIoH in watching. unseen and in per
feet security. the decks of passing Ships
With the aid of his glass he could mingle
again with the world frora which he was
debsrred. and gloomily wonder who among
those passengers knew their solitary
watcher. or had heard of his deeds; it
might have made hun gloornier had ne
known that in those eager faces turned
TOW trd the golden haven there was little
thought Of anything but themselves He.
Jtltd 70 ftad III faces on board the few
outgoing ships the record OF their success
with = strange envy. They were returning
home Home! For. sonnet irnss-but seldom
he thought of his own home and mis- past
Il was q miserable past of forgery and
eHlbt Zzle rdeut that had eliminated a ca
Teer Of youthful dissipation and self-induI-
Rence, and shut him out. for ever from
the staid old English. E;heirai town
whore he was born. lie knew thai his re-
lations believed and wished him dead He
thought OF this past with little pleasure.
hut with little remorSe- Like most OF his
stamp he believed il was ill-lucE chance
somebody else'S fault-but never his own
responsible action. He would not repent:
he wo,ild be wiser only. And he would
rot be rctaken-aiiVCt
Two three months passed in this mo-
rctoncus duty, in which he partly recov-
cred his strength AMI his nerves. He lost
his furti.e. restless. watchful look: the
bracins air and the burning sun put
into his face the healthy tan and the up
lifted franhness of a sailor. His eyes grew
keener from long scanning of the horizon:
he knew where to look for sails from the
Creeping coastwise schooner 10 the far
rounding merchantmen from Cape Horn
lie knew the faint line of !lazs that indi-
Gated the steamer long before her rnasts
ard tunnels became visible. He saw no
soul except the solitary boatnan of the
little plunger Who landed mis- weekly
provisions at a small cove hard nv The
1oatman Thought his secretiyeness and ret-
cencs only the surliness of his nation and
cared little for a man who never asked
for the news and 10 whom he brought no
letters. The long nights which wrapped
tie cabin in sea fog, and at first seemed
TO heighten the exile's sense OF security by
degrees. howev-r. became monoto nous and
melted an odd reStlessness. which he was
wont to oppose by whisky tallowed as a
his sensibilities, he. howeve-, never per-