The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-06-17

will give Don Coyote royal feast to-
day. | should like to see the grin
with which he and his brothers will re-
ceive this generous gift. All! but his
jaws will grow too stiff to close upon
our fat young ducks again. Nothing
like a dose of cavalonga for Senior
Coyote, eh, muchaos?"
Thus, with merry jest, he passed
around the Hateful poison and dis
persed his dusky helpers.
AS the sun sinks Westwards the
shucking party emerge and passes out
to the kitchens and corrals. At sunset
Don Tiburcios band Of helpers return,
singing an old mission hymn, Domin-
| go, who has been mending the sheep
folds, at the head The little process
sion winds round toward the alamazen.
when, with one accord, they all stop;
their stop ends in a shrek! AS If
| turned to stone they stand and gaze!
There sits Don Tiburcio upon the low
bench, his eyes staring and CLASSY, his
jaws tightly locked, the whole figure
horribly upright and rigid. With cry
like a wounded animal Domingo falls
forward upon his master Mi senior!
mel senor" he calls in harsh, choking
tones, then, without word, he puts
his strong arms around the rigid form.
Instantly the others leap forward, and
they bear him through Marianta's
grove, around to the veranda. Slowly
they lay him down, and at that mo-
ment the jaws unloclS--a shlver, CUR
gle, the head falls back, the CLASSY
4 10 t,it hal
ems!
Light footsteps sound down the wide
hall, a gay voice calls out, 'Papaslto,
papasito." The Indians start with APP
prehension one muscular youth springs
forward. He will hold her by main
force if he must, from the sight OF
that awful horrorl Too late! Mari
anita bounds forward. one inarticulate
cry, she sways and falls! When Domin-
go creeps forward and lifts the arm
that lies stretched across her fathers
breast, it falls back heavy, lifeless. In
death, as in life, Don Tiburcio's price
less blossom rests safe against his
heart.
1t is many days after. The relations
there are many of thenhave all de-
parted, after having filed the house
with loud lamentations and laid their
kinsman and his lovely daughter in
their double grave with all the solemn
pomp of church ceremonial.
Don Tiburcio's legal friends have
come, and they search for all that ru-
mored gold. They find buried gold and
silver, but still they are not satif1ed;
the amount is not adequate to their
There must be more.
Then some one remembers that Do !
mingo was the confidential servant OF |
Don Tiburcio, and they go out to him, |
where he sits in the sun and the wind, |
staring straight before him, always
staring, staring. He lifts his head and
looks stupidity at them when they
question him. At length he under
stands, and in dull, monotonous tone
and manner he tells of that journey to
Los Angeles, of the metal box, the picks
and shovels in the carreta of the sepa-
ration at FL Encino del Tinajo; of the
meeting on the outskirts of the wood.
why had not you told us all this
before. Domingo?" they exclaimed i'm
patiently.
1T was all for Marianita that he did
L KNOW. L hIlSW II w as II ottlCt, my 4
master knew ! would keep his secret;
t was secret-it was a secret"
So they left him muttering, his head
lpon his breast. The cold wind blew
bout him: he felt nothing, he saw
and so he passed out of our
tory.
They have burrowed like moles for
rapia's treasure. Miles have been
brown upward all around Eel Encino
lei Tinajo to the very edge of the wood.
rhe old adope house of Cucamonga,
at the foot of the frowning
TERRA is in ruins. Lizards crawl in
nd out It's gaping doors; black, winged
Features make hollow, ghostly echoes
n the silent rooms; the hooking birds
hat nest among the thicket of orange
rees sing to ruin and decay. Half a
entury has gone by, and men, still
ask:
"Where lies Tapias treasurer"
The old encino guards its secret well.
San Francisco Call.
----.-------~------------- |