Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-28
chief came an, saw hen he carried her

away"
nodded and swayed and beckoned. Then.
without q word OF warning, she sank down
at his feet.
"Quisi EXC cada toocheef
Otto hopeel Ma ma morer'
Her chfld's face was Tilted wistfully and
the feather cast a shadow across her brow.
Her little hands beat together like the fall
Of rain or dead leaves. and her body swayed
before his dizzied sight.
How the song was to iinger In his heart
after It all was over. How he was to hear
its little notes Of longing in the pine trees
sfter that.
"Cooda katima? Ma ma morer'
Her little languid hands, 50 pale against
the heavy background Of her shawl The
sweet drone Of her voice over the minor
melody, 50 full OF longing. so full Of mys-
terry! She might have been singing Of pas
sion and yearning, Of love coming at last.
with moccasined feet, treading upon pine
needles
"Quisi EXC cada toocheef
Ma ma moreI Ma ma moreT'
She was such q little. heaped-up, SAD.
eyed thing at his feet there. so easily lifted
up and comforted! So easily folded to ones
breast, with both ones arms!
Mamie r! Mamie R!'
He was kneeling before an empty place
she was gone. And outside he caught the
echo of a little hooking laugh.
Shultz bought the mine. The assay was
remarkably good, and he didn't even bond
1t. The deal was consummated at the
county seat. Malt Tevis pocketed some five
thousand or 50. coin Of the realm. and
strolled down the street toward the depot,
and Shultz mounted his mule and set out
for Forked Tail.
About a mile from town the mule pricked
up its ears. An apparition doomed in the
trail before him. In the gathering dusk
1T looked like a bundle OF gay-colored but
dirty rags On nearer vision 1t proved to be
a squaw.
"Who-o-o you-u?" she challenged him In
the familiar high, sing-song treble.
I'm Shultz," he answered abstractedly.
'Let me go by
rein and peered up into his face.
'You know Mamie RI You know l1imf'
81 bought the Mamie R." he said impa-
tently. Here's quarter. Now let me
by"
She clutched the quarter. peered at him
again, and broke into a fit Of weird and
frightful laughter.
"Oh. no. no. no, l1o! Oh. no, no. no!
Mamie heap smart gran girl! Mamie r
YES" he agreed. mamie r heap sold
to me. And If you promise not to use for
whisky I'll give you nickel more Now
let me by!"
She let him go by But down the hill the
sound Of uncanny merriment followed him.
mamie R heap smart gran'girl! Mamie
r heap sold your
The Forked Tail Hotel seemed quiet-emp-
ty, somehow. Romero met him and looked
glad to see him. Shufz wondered why he
should seem so lonesome.
His room was ready, but ShultZ fingered
about Finally he asked for Mamie R.
The little man broke down.
Haven't you heard yet? She's gone
elopedr'
"Eloped!'
with Tevis-gone to Mexico. I suppose
He has a gold mine there. Though why
made no row, though 1 did say that his
mine here wasn't much-never thought It
would bring the figure it did. Going to your
room nows Your mail is on the table" !.
His mail was ON the table, and half an
hour or so later Shultz examined it. Among
the letters was a package addressed in neat
vertical script, and -postmarked Denver. In
side was handsome meerchaum pipe. the
twin Of his old companion in domestic rev
cries. And tucked shyly in the case with
Il was a message which would mean a white
tie some day at high noon for ShultZ, in
stead of the rolling collar of a flannel shirt
The Denver schoolma'am had sent them
both.
Shultz filled the pipe slowly with the weed
he loved. and leaned back in his chair. The
smoke curled UP in tranquil clouds, and hoy
cred about his head. look Of blissful con-
tentment came upon his face.
Schultz. the pipe smoker, had returned to
his lost estate.
The pipe burned low and the smoker open
ed his vest. From the inner pocket, above
his heart, he took the small burnt stump of
a cigarette. Carefully uncurling the paper
he sifted the contents into his hand and
studied it intently.
Adhering to the weed were certain tiny
specks Of yellow that glittered as the lamp
light struck them. He recalled a famous
case of mine sailing that he had heard
about, and his mind went back to that even
ing over the buckingboard. The fumes Of
those cigarettes had mounted to his brain,
but their ashes had fallen into his samples
And 1t was costly tobacco that Mamie r
had used.
He gazed at the dust attentively for a
time. and then. still smiling a. little, he
pinched 1t up and put 1t supershtiously into
his pipe And with look Of pious desire
he resumed his smoking, putting TRANQUILITY.