The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-07
A BELLE OF CANADA CITY,
By BRET HARTE.
Copyright, 1899, by Bret Harte.)

4
this thoroughfare they stopped laughing,
and otherwise assumed q conscious half
| artificial air. For it was the hour when
Canada City lounged lstlessly before
its shops, its saloons, its offices and
mills--or even held lazy meetings in the
| dust of the roadway-and the passage
down the principal street of its two
prettiest girls was an event to be viewed
| as if it was Il civic procession. Hats
| flew off as they passed; place was free
| ly given; impeding barrels and sacks
removed from the wooden pavement and
preoccupied indwellers hastily summon
ed to the front door TO do homage to
Cissy Trixit and Piney as they went
by. Not but that Canada City, in the
fierce and unregenerate days of its
youth, had seen fairer and higher col
ored faces, more gayly bedizened ON its
thoroughfares, but never anything So
fresh and innocent. They stood there
all unconSciously, reverencing their alb
sent mothers, sisters and daughters in
their spontaneous homage TO the pair,
and seemed to feel the wholesome breath
Of their eastern homes waited from the
freshly ironed skirts of these foolish
virgins as they rustled by. / am afraid
that neither Cissy nor Piney appreciated
this feeling-few women did at that
time indeed. these young ladies as
sumed slight air of hauteur. Really,
they do stare So said Cissy. with eyes
dilating with pleasurable emotion; "we'll
have to take the back street next time"
Piney, proud in the glory reflected from
Cissy and i'll her own, answered, I'VE
will--sure.'
L.
this triumphal progress, and that was
so slight as to be only noticed by one
of the two girls. As they passed tine
new works at the mill the new engineer
AS Piney had fOreseen-was leaning
against the door-post smoking a pipe.
He took his hat from his head and his
pipe from his mouth as they approached,
greeted them with an easy Good after
noon" yet with a glance that was
quietly observant and tolerantly critical
THERE said Cissy, when they had
passed, didn't l tell you? Did you
ever see such conceit in your born days.
l hope you did not look at him.
Piney, conscious of having done so
and of having blushed under his scru-
tiny. nevertheless stoutly asserted that
she had merely looked at him ito see
by passing the Secamp's cottage. from
whose window the three strapping daugh-
ters of John Scamp, lately an emf
grant from Missouri, were as Cissy had
surmised, tightening the household du-
ties by gazing at the--to them unwont
ed wonders of the street. Whether their
compeXions, still bearing traces % the
alkali dust and inefficient nonrishmeni
fh.n
from the spectacle of Cssy's hat | can
not say; Cissy thought they did; per-
haps Piney was nearer the truth when
she suggested that they were only 'look
ing" to enable them to make a home
made copy of the hat next week.
Their progress forward and through
the outskirts of the town was of the
same triumphaI character. Transfers
withheld their oaths and their uplifted
whips as the two girls passed by; weary
miners toiling in bitches looked up with
a pleasure that was half reminiscent of
their past; younger skylarkers stopped
in their horse play with half smiling half
apologize faces; more ambitious riders
ON the highway urged their horses to
greater speed under the girls inspiring
eyes, and ''Vaquero Billy charging them
full tilt. brought up his mustang on its
launches and rigid forelegs, with a
sweeping bow of his sombrero, within q
foot of their artfully simulated terror!
In this way they at last reached the
clearing In the forest, the church,, with
its ostentatious spire, and Rev. Mr..
Windibrook's dwelling-otherwise humor-
ously known as ''the pastorage"
CiSsy intended to call.
Rev. Mr.. Windibrook had been selected
by his ecclesiastical superiors to min
lister to the spiritual wants of Canada
City as being what was called heart"
man. Certainly, If considerable lung ca
pacity, absence of reserve and power of
Misunderstanding and backslapping were
necessary to the redemption of Canada
City, Mr.. Windibrook's ministration
would have been successful But, SIM
gularIy enough, the rude miner was apt
to resent this familiarity, and 1t is re
corded that Isaac Wood, otherwise
known as Grizzly Wood" once respond !
ed to a cheerful back-slap from the rev.
erend gentleman by an ostentatiously
friendly hug which nearly dislocated the
pastors ribs. Perhaps Mr.. WindibroOk |
was more popular ON account of his ad-
miring enthusiasm of the prosperous |
getting members of his flock, and
a singular sympathy with their methods,
and Mr.. Trixit's daring speculations We're
an especially delightful theme to him.
"Ah, Miss Irixit," he said as Cissy |
entered the little parlor, ''and how is
your dear father? Still startling the
money market with his fearless specula- |
tons? This. Brother JONES'" turning to
a visitor. SIS the daughter o. our Napo-
leon of finance Montague Trixit Only
last week, in that deal in the Comstock''
he cleared fifty thousand dollars! Yes,
SIR repeating it with JUNCTION, fifty
about two hours. |
and single stroke OF the pen! l believe
I am not overstating. Miss T'rixit." heE
added. appealing to Cissy with a porten- |
to,ls pOliteness that was az badly fitting
as his previous ''heartiness."
Cissv colored slightly. Il don't know.
she said simply. She was perfectly
She knew nothing of her faith
er's business-except the vague reputa-
ton of his success.
Her modesty. however, produced a SIN
gular hilarity in Mr.. Windibrook, and
playful push "Yon don't know! Ha;
bnt T do. Yes. sir''-to the visitor-"l
have reaso, 10 remember it. | called