Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1904-03-17
strange influence over him.

who alone bound him 10 the life
he had left behind, YET he felt
how easy it would be, were it not
for her, to drift into the customs
and adopt the modes and morals
of the people of that fair Mexi-
can land, for there was a certain
charm in their easy-going, lam
guorous life, with its beauty and
its restfulness, that had appealed
to him from the very first. In
some strange way that he could
not understand, and yet which
seemed perfectly natural to him,
he longed to remain there, away
from the world, as it were, until
the end; and he pictured her, his
affianced wife there with him,
and--he laughed. His reverie
was not broken; the woman
alone changed, and he wondered
what life would be with Chonita
just for a time.
She reached the house and hur-
ried to her room, where she
dropped on her knees before a
little shrine. 81 am so glad.
What have | done that | should
be so happyl Thank you, God"
Slowly night came on. Supper
was over, and the room was but
dimly lighted by a suffering
tallow dip and the family flicker
ing blaze of the open fire in the
jacal adjoining. Rawlston lean
ed back in his chair, slowly
smoking and watching Chonita as
she moved about putting away
the supper things, and he became
duly conscious of a desire to take
her in his arms again, to hold her
and to feel her tremble.
After awhile she brought him
a cup of coffee and took from his
saddlebag flask Of cognac that
he always carried there, and
placed it on the table at his side.
He touched her hand and into her
eyes came look of longing, al
most passionate, and her lips
parted as though to speak but
her father entering the room she
turned away and sank in a hud-
died heap on the floor at the
kitchen door.
Juan had been cleaning the
rifle which Rawlston had allowed
him to use for a week past, and
seating himself at the table, CIV
ing the gun a few finishing
touches with a greasy rag, he ex-
claimed: "Ah, senior, it is a
grand gun. Madre de Dois, but
the shots | made! | would give
my soul for such one!"
"Not being the devil, Juan, |
cannot take your soul, but what
else will you give?' said Rawl-
ston.
Senior, | have nothing but my
two burros and a cow might
spare little maize and frijoles,
too, perhaps"
Rawlston laughed, then poured
some cognac into the coffee,
drank it, and leaning back
against the wall said: Juan,
I'll give you the rifle if you will
give me-
"What?" cried Juan.
"Chonita.
Juan sprang to his feet and
Rawlston reached for his revolver
but he had no need. The father
turned to the girl and led her to
Rawlston, placing her hand in
his, saying:
at is we'll, senior; 81, sta 'ueno.
You are rich, and will be good to
her. Yes, it is well," and the
mother, coming from the kitchen
nodded her head, smiled and
echoed. eyes, it is we'll" And
Ohonita, she was very happy, for
she was but child of nature.
The home to which Rawlston
took her, his quarters at the
mine, seemed with their meagre
yet comfortable furnishing a per-
feet palace to Chonita, and the
clothing that came from Qua
dalupe for her use amazed the
girl. She could not understand
that she was to wear slippers and
stockings every day, neither why
she was to dress her hair. At
first it grew irksome to her to re-
main dressed, as he would have
her, and at times, coming home,