The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-25


Cheer Up. Mr.. sps.6ler." she said. mar
sa.ly. III see you through this thsng
-~e5ca't yos mind. Bat don't you say a-y-
thing a5ozss--abaat-sass Vigilance Com
rz4ztse business 10 anybody Neg aoo1
yozr ntesse-st was your nxece. wasn't III
being divorced, Charley tthe late Mr..
Prices bad 4 queer sort OF sister who
e2f that's neither here uar there! Aasd
yoar niece yaaya's couse you know: or IL
size does yea ant bound to bring Der cut
70 The general company"
At parting Spand.er. In sheer grateful
ness. pressed her hand and fingered so
long ever IL that q little eosor sprang INTO
the widows brown cheek Perhaps frssE
courage sprang into her heart, too. for she
w-zt To Sacramento the nsxt Gay. pre-
vteusiy ento.ning on spinaler on no accoun.
20 show any answers De might receive. At
Sacramento her nseces Jew 10 her with cen
edsnces.
1--WE so wanted 10 sse you. Aunt Hnity.
Tor we've heard something so delightful
about your funny Christmas party Mrs
Prsce's heart sank. but her eyes snapped.
'-Oaly think OF I'll One Ok Mr.. Sp.D3ier's
long-iost reatives-a Mr. Wragx-liyes In
this hotel. and para knows HIN Hes
sort OF hAlt-uncis, / believe, and hes Just
furious that Spsndler should have invited
him. lie showed papa the letter: said It
was the greatest piece Of .nsoleDee in the
werld: that Spsadier Was an ostsnsa.sous
fool who had made a little money and
wanted TO Use him 10 get Into society: and
the fun Of the whole thing was that this
haIf-uacle and whole brute 10 himself a
SarveGa-a vulgar osteniAlous creature,
who was only -
Never nsind what he was. Kate" inter-
rapted Mrs. Price hastily. Il call his Con-
duct A shame"
$50 do We" said both girls eagerly. After
a pause Kate ciaxped her knees with her
l.. - II
forwards, said: "Mlly ard / have got an
Idea, and don't you say no to IL We've
had IL ever since that brute talked Ia that
way. Now. through him, we know more
about this Mr.. Spludiers family connec-
tons than you do; and We know all the
trouble you and he'll have In getting up
this party. You understand? Now We
first want to know what spindler's Ike.
Is he a savage, bearded creature. like the
miners We saw on the boat?"
Mrs Price said that on the contrary he
was very gentle. sofs-spoken and rather
go01-looklng.
Young or oid?
"Young-a mere boy. as you may Judge
from his actions" returned Mrs. Price with
q suggestive matroniy air.
Kate here put up a iong-handled eye
glass 70 her fine grey eyes. fitted IL ostenta-
ioasly over her sauiline nose and then said.
IN voice Of simulated horror; Aunt
Mrs Price laughed her usual frank
laugh. albeit her brown cheek took upon 1t
faint tint OF Indian red. IL that's the
wonderful Idea you girls have got. don't
see how it's going 10 help matters she
said. driiy.
mo. that's no, II, We really havs an
idea. Now look here.''
Mrs. Price hooked here" This process
seenIed 20 tina superficial observer TO be
merely submitting her waist and shoulders
10 the arms Of her nieces and her ears TO
their confidential and coaxng vo.cet
Twice she said III couldn't be thought
Of and at was imposs be-" once adj
dressed Kate a. "You limbr' and finally
said tha, she wouldn't promlse-but might
writer
II was two days before Christmas. There
was nothing in the air. SKY. or landscape
OF that Sierran slope TO suggest the sea-
son to- the Eastern stranger. A soft rain
had been dropping for week from laurel.
pine and buckeye. and the blades OF
spring.ng grasses and shyly-open.ng flow
ers. Sedate and silent hillsides that had
grown dumb and psrched towards the end
Of the dry season became gently articulate
again there were mummurs In hushed and
forgotten canyons: the leap and laugh OF
water among the dry bones OF dusty creeks
and the full song OF the larger forks and
rivers. Southwest winds brought the warm
odor OF the pine sap swelling In the forest,
or the faint, far-ofY spice OF wild mustard
spring.ng in the lower valleys. But, as II
by some irony OF nature, this gentle snva-
sion of spring in the wild wood brought
only disturbance and discomfort to the
haunts and works OF man. This bitches
were oyerGiowed. the fords or the fork i'm
passah,s, the s.usc.ng adrift and the trails
and wagon roads TO Rough and Ready
knee deep in mud. The stage coach frc-n
Sacramento. entering the settlement by
the mountain highway. Its wheels and
panels clogged and crusted with uuctuous.
pigment. like mud and blood. passed out Of
Il through the overrowed and dangerous
ford and emerged in spotless purity, leav-
Ing is etains behind with Rough and
Ready. week OF enforced id!eness on
the river Bar" had driven the miners to
the more comfortable recreation OF the
saloon bar. its mirrors. IT'S fiorii paintings,
Its arm-chairs and It's stove. The steam OF
their wet boots and the smoke Of their
pipes hung over the latter. ike the sacrf-
fetal incense from an altar Rut the al
t!tude % the men was more critical and
cens6rieus than con.enteS. and showed little
OF the sentleness % this weather or season
did you hear X the stage Brought down
any more relations Of Spsndler's?"
The bsrkeeper TO whom thSs question WAS
addressed shifted his lounging position
against the bar and said II reckon not
ex FAR - I know"
Ard that el3 boat c, second cousin
that crimson oeak~vhat KEN down yester-
dsy-he amt bin hang,n' round here today
for his regiar pixos7'
NE" sal3 the harkeeper. thoughtfaly.
y reckon Splndievs got HIM locked up
ana Is sat!ia' on him 10 keep him sober
til after Christmas. ana prevent you boys
sstssn' a. him"
He'll have tire 3iufssns before that" re-
turned the first SPEAKER ard hcv about
that dead beat of = haltrerhew who hor-
rowtd twenty dollars os yuhs Bill on ths
way down and then wanted TO get OF ~
| shoQtersviile, hut Hill wouldn't let him.
and seooted him down % SplnGler's ART
collected the money from Saandier himself,
&fore he'd give him upe''
He's up thsrs with the rect % ths rneus-
s@gis." SAID sAe barkeeper. "oU, reckon
that Mrs. Price hez bin fseeiin' him up.
And ~ know the ols wc@ssa p--;hat AIRY
nssh cousin by rnarrtsgs whom joe ChAni-
iev svesrs he remembers ss an cd cook
soT Chinese restaurant in stockton-darn
my Skin 81 thaf Mrs Price haxn'i rsxEva