The National tribune., 1903-07-09

In front of us. just across the street was
the house of Mr.. Henry Glassman, men
toned in the last chapter. He was Ger
man, well advanced in years, l think at
that time about IS. AS honest as the day
was long, he was of cOngenial disposition
withal, and generous and liberal in n high
degree. Notwithstanding the unsettled
state of the country and the ever-present
danger from Indians, he had. like many
others, resolved to stay in Arizona, even
after the garrison of CalabaZas, from
which the major part of Tubac had de-
rived their living. had been abandoned; lie
owned a pretty good adobe home, where
he dwelled alone, dispensing liquors to
farmers. laborers and waysiders; from time
to time he would kill yearling, Il calf,
kid or a sheep. occasionally hog. and sell
the meat to the inhabitants of the town,
the ranchmen and few outlying miners.
sailing down or turning into sausage
whatever he could not dispose of in
fresh state.
He had a herd of about 200 sheep, over
which his intelligent dog. Stubbs, the
product of an indefinable pedigree, watched
all alone along the river bottom, bringing
them home exactly at sunset of each day.
When l became first acquainted with old
Henry, as We used to call him, all his at
fection was concentrated upon the afore-
said dog and a white horse that he had
bought at an auction of inspection con-
demned stock" He had taken great pains
to obliterate nearly successfully, the tell
tale brand l. c. In his opinion these two
animals had never been surpassed by any
other of their kind in sagacity, endurance,
beauty (the dog was the uglieSt l ever
saw and allround usefulness. This the
population of the whole valley was perfect
ly aware of. and loud praises of the two
quadrupeds by occasional visiting farmers
and miners We're the legitimately recog-
nized means of obtaining free drinks at
Henry's bar.
In the first days of December, however,
began to observe a new manifestation in
old Henry's general bearing towards me
which led me to believe that he had trans
Ierred or was transferring part of his
affection, heretofore entirely absorbed by
his two pets, upon humble me. His friend
Jy move" was due to Henry's discovery
of the fact that 1 was applying myself
steadily to the study of Spanish. He soon
became very friendly. not to say c0nfiding,
at first, but evidently ready to make ad-'
yances towards intimacy. circumstance
which, taking into consideration the great
difference in our ages and the short period
of our acquaintance, led me to some specu-
lative reflections.
OLD HENRY's LOVE AFFAIR.
After he had made sure that 1 had mas
tered the Spanish language sufficiently to
speak and write it Understandings, and,
in his opinion at least, as made up from
the information furnished by Mexican
neighbors, quite fluently, the explanation
for the peculiar sudden friendship
came all at once, when upon
Saturday evening, we being alone, several
drinks loosened his tongue and he con-
fessed to me that he was in love-oh! so
much in love!-with a Mexican widow,
ha al tn
account of the disparity of language.
He then and there solicited my services
in the matter of making advances and
proposing matrimony in the old, recognized
only proper Mexican style, as laid down
and practiced from times immemorial ac-
cording to the unwritten law of Mexican
courtship. His 'sine qua non" proceeding
consisted in sending to the object of his
affection a nice, clean letter of proposal
conched in the best style of the language
of the Hidalgos.
1 saw that Henry was in earnest--very
much in earnest, and therefore placed my
self at his disposal forthwith. We hied
ourselves to my sanctum adjoining the
store, where l discovered. after some rum
maging in my trunk, some of the flowery
stationery upon which / was then still in
the habit of indulging in fine language,
sent whenever opportunity offered, to Miss
Eulalia at Santa Cruz. 1 now learned
from old Henry that the much-beloved and
coveted widow was one Mrs. Raney, the
relict of a member of the California Vol
unteers, who lived at Tubac at the time,
In rather reduced circumstances. with two
small children, girl of about 10 and boy
of about six years of age. l hope it is
useless to go into details as to the elabo-
rate composition of that letter, which con-
tanned a 'bona-fde' offer of marriage. Suf-
fee it to say that l did my best in gram
mar, syntax and fine writing, and sent old
Henry away with the missive confded to a
highly omamented envelope.
He was very happy, for che had it bad"
Already on the following evening my
now fast friend returned to me with an
answer. He made me lock the store door,
and seating himself by my side on my bed.
he pulled forth the fatefuI letter with
trembling hands from his breast pocket A
hurried perusal convinced me that he had
not knocked at that door in vain, and |
said TO him at once: "You are all right, old
boy; listen!"
And he 1istened-with ears eyes and
mouth, while l translated to him slowly
and distinctly tie legend of happiness in
store.
The lady's answer, which, numerous Or
biographical errors excepted, was couched
In fair enough Spanish, was to the pur-
e. port that MIR. Glassman's proposal of mar
rlage was looked upon favorably; that his
affection was returned, but that there
existed serious impediment to the mar
riage, inasmuch as legal proof of her
husbands death was not in her possess
sion, and that rumors were afOat that he
had been seen alive short time previously
In the city of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico;
that under these circumstances no priest
would perform the holy rite of matrimony.
and that Of course he, Mr.. Glassman.
would not expect her to receive further
advances until such time as the aforesaid
legal proof had been obtained, when moth
Ing would oppose itself to the perform
ence Of the marital ceremony by the holy
Roman Apostolic Church, the only man
ner in which she would ever consent to
be married.
Old Henry was very, very happy. he
cause he knew that said Raney, a black
smith by trade, had actually died in said
city and was buried there He took NV
hand, IN which | Was still holding the
letter, in both of his, which were fairly
shaking with emotion, and imp!ored we to
write at once to one Mr.. Garrison. who
kept hotel at Herm0sville. and whose
uncle of the same name was u. S. Consul
at Guaymas He knew, he said, that from
these two the much-desred document prov
Ing legally the demise of the ladys first
husband could surely be obtained.
L wrote that letter forthwith and then
another to the widow, expressing infinite
happiness bliss, etc, and informing her
OF the steps that were being taken towo rd
che consummatiOn of said happiness and
bliss. IlereuDOu wes diourpo1 ~