The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-07-10
DOWNRIGHT 1902 bv W. r. Hearst J

copyright, 1902, by w. r. Hearst.)
It was near the middle of May 1865. The
air was laden with the sweet perfume OF
many-hued flowers and the birds were
singing amidst the leafy boughs Of the live
oaks or idly swinging upon the slender
branches of the pines. The sweet-scented
breeze swept through the pine needles
with low, soft. kissing sound and the
6um of myriad insects fitting here and
there In search of food or sporting amid
The blooming chapparal filled the air. The
lay was warm, the sun glared down in
fiery splendor upon the tender. fresh vege-
| sation that would yield up its life in a
lew weeks to his too ardent gaze.
Two children sat in the shade of an old
| nanzanita whose red trunk and branches
cleaned brightly through the screen of
! green. Altura, the elder, a girl some
| twelve years Of age, had pushed the sun
bonnet back from her head and left it
langling at the back of her neck. She
Was small for her age and was not what
! IN ordinary observer would call handsome.
Her face was sun-browned, a few 5freckles
were scattered over her nose and cheeks
tangled curls, from beneath which, sshone
beautiful. fearless, earnest gray eyes.
! Her brother, Rob, who sat near her
! whiting a stick Of, elder into a spopgun
/ Tor. Tommle, their youngest brother, was
| :wo years younger than she. He was a
,lack-eyed, round-faced, good natured boy.
| Altura and Rob were the eldest children
4 IF Mr.. Brown, who owned large tract
| Of land known as the Live Oak ranch in
4 one of the counties north of Sacramento
Ind near rich mining district. He had
| Drought his family in wagons across the
plains, where they We're attacked by In
4 aians. This experience had SO frightened
| Mrs. Brown that she had never recovered
rom the shock, and from a happy, cheer
4 Jul, hopeful woman she had become nerV-
| BUS, fretful and Respondent, always look
| ng on the dark side of life and in con-
slant dread Of something terrible about
| 70 happen. Consequently many of the
cares that usually belong to mother de-
volved upon Altura, or Alta" as she was
| generally called. The responsibility had
| developed in her a strength of purpose
| emergency far beyond her years. Seven
| Year-old Tommie, her youngest brother,
| always came to her with all his childish
% her and was never so happy as when
| she could go with him out to the range
where he was herding stock.
ne had coaXed her to go with him to-
enly Dicky Pony and Shep Dog for COM
,any! If mother can spare you, Alta, We'll
nave such nice ride. III let you ride
| seels so smart since father turned him
loose in the pasture that I'm afraid he
might throw you off. It's SO long since
ne belongs to you. Then We'll get some
| real nice pine gum that T saw on an old
tree down in the Indian gulch, and We'll
80 around Chaparral hill to where so
many manZanitas grow. You know where
| The bedrock comes up out of the ground
pm the hillside? Well, right there in,the
pig manZanita a grossbeak, is making her
| lest; may be she has young birds by this
time for it was three or four weeks ago
that I was there
| Alta was unable to resist his persua-
while here and there amid the chaparrai
the children heard the mournful, trem-
llous whistle of the full-fedged young
birds calling to the parent birds for food.
wanted one SO much to send to Aunt Mar
ia. When she was here last summer she
SAID that there were plenty. of orioles and
aests In the big cottonwood trees that
grew along the sidewalks but there were
| 40 grossbeaks there and she was sorry
Tor she thought that they were such sweet
| singers
Never mind, Alta. Illitry and find an
'ther nest:for you. There! them old horses
have started Oft again! wish :they had
:or l wanted to make this popgun for
rommie; but I must keep them in sight
Pr some Of them will get away and go to
The sd mounta ans Then lr, exclaimed
there amt ourn, for they're picketed-
lthem down there by the grapevines in
jishe hollow. wonder where the men are
that they belong to? Guess they must
hill.'' - @
They ,n,tied8tt lariats by Which their
The saddle riding toward home, which di-
tection the stock they were herding had
taken.
s"oh, Altar said Rob, II saw Mr.. Smith
his morning and he said Nfollie was com
ing to see us tomorrow"
i Mollie Smith was! a deaf mute and was
The only child playmate they had, for the
land was owned In such large tracts that
IQeiRhDOTS al
miles apart-miners seldom bringing their
families to the mines. Alta and Rob had
long that they understood the sign Ian
Euageg Of the mutes and could communi-
cate as freely by 1T as II they, too, were
nutes. Frequently at home, when their
mother was SO nervous and irritable that
they carried on conversations in that way,
the sound Of their voices annoyed her.
their father sometimes Joining in their
silent talk" Often their mother chided
| hem for indulginc. In this kind Of panto-
mime, saying It was wicked and looked
neathenish when It was not necessary to
communicate, in that manner. Then q. Mr.:
Brown would say, good naturedly, Let
Them alone, mother, 1t won't hurt them,
Ind 1t might be fine thing sometimes to
be able to talk without being heard"
the children entered. the house, which
| stood close to the dusty Wayside, facing
the south, Oh Cow, the Ghinaman, who
did the cooking and housework, placed a
lunch for them on a table In. the long.
| cool dining room, where the family usual
| ly sat In the afternoon to enjoy the cool
breeze that came in through Its many
windows. While eating they, became aware
| from the sIow-toned conversation carried
on between their parents that some irn-
portant event had taken place during their
great uneasiness to both. At length Mr..
Brown said In a louder tone: .ffs5 4;
| ut is to go by the Z o'clock stage to-
morrow morning, and Mcconnell SAID he
would stay here tonight. ! hope he'll
some early, for never felt this way about
i anything of the kind before"
ooh, George!v said Mrs. Brown, rocking
4 slowly to and fro in her chair. II wish
you would take us back to the states. fol