The San Francisco call., 1904-02-28

Hef mead and drew back the cov-
---s' and Moreau saw a strange wiz
80 lace and a tiny. claw-like hand
ing feebly about. He had never
very young infant before and il
10 MN weirdly hideous thing.
IL yours?" he said. amazed.
81. She answered, 1T was born in
oesert three weeks ago."
Tears were dry. and she bent over
-eeDie thing that squirmed weakly
lace small cat-lil1e noises. with
iilhs IN her attitude that changed
ara made her still a woman who
-'>N q ne abcvc her miseries.
. wouldn't you like 10 go into the
Soln said the man. feeling suddenly
-N'sheo By his ignorance Of all pertain
-s To This infnitesimal bit of life.
4oa might want 10 wash it or put it
sleep OF give it something to eat.
lhere's barin and soap and-cr-some
l-''1r cEd bacon in there"
The woman responded TO the invita-
Dch With a 1liaht show OF alacrity.
50 stumbled as she rose, and he took
nei arm and guided her. At the cabin
coof he left her ard IS he passed to the
''-ok where the rest Of the party had
lAsisient, followed him.
The emigrant. Bessie and Fletcher.
had repaired TO the brush shed where
loreau's horses were stabbed and had
put the half-dead Spotty under its
sne-ter Here the exhausted beast had
IAN down. The trio had then betaken
themselves 10 a bare spot on the shaded
slope Of the knoll and were eating
SHIPS biscuits and drinking whisky and
water from a tin cup, that circulated
Loin hand TO hand. AS Moreau ap-
preached he could hear his partner
Noiubiy expatiating On the barrenness
OF The stream beds in the vicinity. The
stranger was listening to him with a
cogitating eye, his scanned, weather.
worn face set in an expression of
froWning attention. Her hunger ap-
peased, Bessie had curled up on her side
and with her sunbonnet still on had
fallen into a deep, healthy sleep.
Moreau Joined them, and listened
with mingled surprise and amusement
10 Fletcher's glib lies. Then, when his
partners fiuency was exhausted, he
questioned the emigrant on his trip.
The mans answers were short and non
committal. He seemed in a morose.
savage state at his i'll luck, his mind
still engrOssed by the question Of NOV
ing on.
IF I'd money" he said, I'd give you
anything you'd ask for them two horses
'er yOur'n in the shed. But 1 amt
thing TO give-not a red"
Your wife, your other wife, said
Moreau, ''doen't seem to me fit to go on.
She's dead beat"
The man gave an angry snort.
She's been like that pretty near the
whole way" he said "Everything's
been put back because Of her"
He relapsed into moody silence and
then said suddenly: We're gOin' if
she's got to walk"
MOreau went back to the cabin. They
had half killed the woman already: now
II they insisted on her walking the
Wretched creature might collapse al
together. Would they leave her on the
mountain roads. he wondered?
He reached the cabin door, knocked
ard heard her answering come in"
She was sitting on an upturned box
beside the bunk on which the baby
slept Her sUnbonnet was of, and he
noticed that she had bright hair, rip
pied and thick, and cf the same red
dish brown color as her eyes. She had
washed away the traces of her tears,
but her clothes, hardly sufficient cover
ing for her lean. worn body, were dirty
and ragged. No beggar he had ever
seen in the distant New England town
where he had spent his boyhood had
presented 2 more miserable appearance.
She Looked timidly at him and rose
from the box. pushing il toward him.
4 put the baby on the bunk" she
said. pOlOgetically, but 1 can hold
her"
"Oh. don't disturb her." he said
quickly. It's the only place you could
have put her" Then. seeing her stand
ing. he said. Why don't you sit
DOWN."
She sat charity and evidently i'll at
ease.
They've been eating out there" he
said, and 7 thought you might like
something, too. There's some stuff
over there in the corner if you'n wait
moment"
He went TO the corner where the sup
plies were stored and ri1ed them for
more ships biscuit and a wedge OF
cheese. = delicacy which Fletcher had
brought from HangtOwn on his last
visit. and which he carefully refrained
from offering to the hungry emigrants.
Coming back with these ne drew out
another box and spread them ca it be-
fore her. She looked on in heavy, 81
lent surprise. When he had finished he
said:
"Now-fsu 10. You want food as
much as anything"
She made no effort to eat, and he
said. diss ppOinted: Don't you want 1t?
Oh. make q try"
she made try" and bit off piece
c,f cracker while he again retired to the
srSply corner for the TN cup and the
whisky He tried TO step softly so as
not TO wake the child, and there was
something ludicrous in the sight Of this
vast. bearded man. with his mighty,
half barred arms and muscular throat
trying to be noiseless. with as much
success as one might expect Of a bear.
c..11a-1-r ia the midst of her rpDa ST.