The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-09

they found the team that had brought
them there IN waiting and drove toward
6an Jose. II was nearly ten miles before
they pasaDd another hsbltation or trace
Of clearing. And by this time night had
fallen upon the cabin they had left. and
upon the newly made orphan and her In
dian companion alone and contenied in
that trackless solitude.
Liberty Jones had been year a, the
cabin In that time she had learned that
her employers Name was DIR. Ruysdaei.
that he had lucrative practice In San
Jose. but had also taken up league or
two of Wild forest land in the Santa Cruz
range. which he preserved and held after
a fashion of his own. which gave him the
reputation OF being crank" among the
very few neigsbors his vast possessions
permitted. and the equally few frienis his
singular tastes allowed him II was be-
heved that a man owning such an enor-
nous quantity OF timber land who should
refuse 10 set up sawmill. and absolutely
forbid the telling OF trees; who should de-
cline to connect II with the highway to
Santa Clara and close T. against improve
ment and speculation. had given sufficient
evidence OF his insanity. but when TO this
was added the rumor that he himself was
not only devoid Of the human instinct OF
hunting the wild animals with which his
domain Abounded but that he held IL SD
sacred TO their use as to forbid the firing
OF a gun within its limits. and that these
restrictions were further preserved and
.'policed'' by the scattered remnants Of
band Of abor.g.nes known as Digger In
tins" II was seriously limited that his &C.
centrieity had acquired a political and
moral significance and demanded iegfs-
lative interference. But the doctor was
rich man. necessity 10 his patients.
good marksman. and IL was rumored. did
not include his fellow-man among the an
imAis he had distaste for killing
or all this. however. Liberty knew lit
tie anc cared lesA The solitude appeal
ed to her sense OF freedom; she did not
banker after society she had never
known. Al the end Of the first week. when
the doctor communicated TO her briefly. by
letter. the convincing proofs or the death
of her father. and his entombment beneath
the sunken cliff. she accepted the fact
without comment or apparent emotion
Two months later, when her only surviving
relative. Aunt Marty" of Missouri. ac-
knowledged the news-communicated by
DR. Ruysdaei-with Scripturai quotations
and the cheerful hope that II would be
a lesson to her. and she would ''profit In
her new piace"-she left her aunt's letter
unanswered.
with an interest that was almost posses
sorry. patronixed and played with the sQuaw
yet made her feel her .nferiority-and
moved among the peaceful aborigines with
the domination Of a white woman and
superior. She tolerated the ha.f-monthiy
visits OF lin Hoskins'-the young COM
pauion Of the doctor who she learned was
the coctor's factor and overseer OF the
property. who lived seven miles away on
an agricultural clearing. and whose con-
troll of her actions was evidently limited
by the doctor-for the Doctors sake alone.
Nor was Mr. Hoskins inclined to exceed
those limits. He looked upon her as some
thing abnormal-a crank" as remarkable
I'm her way as bar patron was In his
neuter OF sex and vague of race. and he
simply restricted his supervision to the
bringing and taking Of messages. She re-
manned sole queen OF the domain. rare
siraggler from the main road, penetrating
this seclusiQn might have scarcely Gistsn-
suished herAfrom waya IN her coarse cot
ton gown and elouched hat-except for the
free stride which contrasted with her COM
panion's waddie. Once. in following an
esfrayed calf, she had crossed the highway
and been saluted by passing teamster IN
the Digger dialect-yet the mistake left no
sting IN her memory. And. like the Digger.
she shrank from that civilization. which
had only proved hare taskmaster.
had in her surroundings was In the rare
visits OF the doctor and his brief but sin
cere commentator OF her rude and rustic
work. 1t IL possible that the strange.
middle aged gray-haired intellectual man.
whose very language was at times mys-
terious and uninteiiigibie to her. and
whose suggestion Of power awed her.
might have touched come untried alial
chord In her being. Although she felt
that, save for absolute freedom. she was
little more TO him than che had been TO
her father-yet he had never told her she
had mo sense that she was "a hin
drance." and he had even praised her per-
Torrance OF her duties. Eagerly as she
looked for his coming In hts actual pres
ence she felt q singular uneasiness or
which she was not entirely ashamed, ana
IL she was relieved at his departure II none
the less left her to a delightful memory
Of him. a warm sense OF his approval and
a fierce apbit.on to be worthy OF II, for
which she would have sacrificed herself
or the other miserable retainers about her
as a matter OF course. She had driven
waya and the other squaws far along the
table land pasture in search OF missing
stock: she herself had lain out all night
on the rocks beside an aiiing heifer Yet
while satisfied to earn hts praise for the
performance OF her duty. for some fem
inine reason she thought more frequently
of casual remark he, had made on Ms
last visit. ''You are stronger and more
healthy in this air." ne had said. looking
critically into her face. We have got
that abominable alkali out OF your sys-
tenn and wholesome food will do the rest
She was not sure she had quite understood
him-but she remembered that she had
felt her face grow hot when he spoke