Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1901-04-04
A LOCO STORY.
John Adams, in ArgOnaut.
concluded from last week. J

And so it went / was sorry
both for the girl and for Kirby, ane
let him see it. For which l Datu
rally received no thanks. Mean
while she was as happy as WON.
an ever gets to be in this world
and he obediently took the quinine
and hot drinks, and wrote fewer
and fewer letters to Miss Kent
Which certainly was rather hard
On the latter lady.
Well, we were working along
briskly at only few days distance
from Pueblo de Maria, our stop
ping point, when late one evening
| received a message that Kirby
wanted to see me. | was having
my supper and sent the mozo back
to him, saying that as soon as l
had finished | would come. Some
how | spotted at once that Consu-
clio was at the bottom Of his mes
sage, and | thought things over as
| drank my coffee. | had noticed
lately that his careless and otfhand
treatment of the girl had grown
even more careless during the last
few days; she, on her part, had
never seemed to wish for more than
the privilege to fetch and carry for
him. A servile, savage sort of love
to be sure. but that is the way In
dian women are.
Kirby was sitting at his writing
table, a worried, nervous look on
his face, and Miss Kent's picture
and a just-opened letter before
him. As l sat down l glanced
lightly at the letter. 1t was very
thin one, covering only two pages,
and the signature was visible; |
shamelessly read it. ''Your very
sincere friend, Dorothy Kent" is
not the way in whici. C fsncee usu-
ally signs letters, and | at once un-
derstood. Miss Kent had doubt
less gathered from Kirby's letters
that he was making love to some
other woman, and being a girl of
spirit and pride, had at once writ
ten to break of the engagement.
Kirby, however, had little to say
he merely wished me to notify
"ConsuelIo, Old Juauas niece,
that her seryices were no longer
necessary. Her wages would be
paid two months In advance. and
she was to be furnished an escort TO
her own home in Chjlpanziugo.
And, by the way, Jackson" he
finished up, give her this $50 bill
aud tell Der that send it, ! real
ly owe her more than that, for her
attention to me while l vas sick.
| think that's all. Will you please
see that she goes tomorrow morn
ing early? We'd better get out
pretty early with the instruments
too, for we ought to be in Pueblo
de Maria by the end of next week. |
Copsuelo was not in the kitchen,
snd my interview, therefore, was
With old Jusna-for which | was
not sorry. Who knows how the
girl would have taken the news? |
The aunt WAS in q boiling rage. |
She called down the wrath of God |
and all the saints upon me; how
had | the heart to so discharge and |
send away good girl, who had al
ways behaved herself properly? |
The old woman was hard to pa
city, and finally wa1ed SO abusive |
that l took strong measures with !
her; after which she quieted down |
and said that Cousuelo would go
early next morning. And then |
went to bed, wondering if the thing
was really over with, and thinking
that did not envy Mr.. Kirby.
We saw nothing more of the
girl, and old Juans was always
quiet and busy. Mesn-
while work was booming along
nicely. and we expected to get to
our terminus within four days,
when our chief WAS suddenly tax
an with a sort of sunstroke and
lad to be carried home TO the tent,
-sving and kicking like mad. We
,alled II sunstroke, but I. at least,
1new better. | had never seen =
patient weep and curse
alternately, and was both scared
and dumfouuded.
He had been working busilv sll |
he morning when. all Of sudden,
la burst 0ut INTO insane weeping
Then followed its of wild laughter
md silly. maudhn rawlings, then
move weeping. | put him to bed. .
md gave him an o2Iate. 1t had .
10 eartl N effect -. frightened
md puzzled out of my wits, sat
II the tent all that evening and
night. listening to the rsvirE and
,lutul crying OF = crar5t man.
Well that same t.-- w4s -"-
,eet-d very 1av far r. N..N.
Iertsast
,r tHa