Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1904-04-20
Quita's
Kidnapping
BY lola L. Forester
Copyright, 1908, by T. c. Mcclure
By lola L. Forester

Mariquita Josepha Maria was her
name, according to the baptismal rec
ords in the little white mission church
at San JuniperO. Over at Happy Chance
we called her Quita.
Some way she seemed to belong more
TO Happy Chance than she did to San
Junipero, with it's soft toned bells and
the solitude of clustered gardens. She
was tall and slim and sunburned, with
lips like the heart of a rose and dark
shadowy eyes that looked sidelOng at
one and made the earth seem an excel
lent place to live in.
Before Happy Chance had opened up
as a silver mining center the shack of
old Tom Terrier had held its own up
on the mountain side and dominated
the whole valley. No one knew when
it had been built. Terrier had drifted
from camp to camp down through Col
Orado and crOsswise through the Sier-
ras until Mexico was the limit and he
found Happy Chance. 1t was a bit of
the wilderness that had escaped for
tune seekers and railroad surveyors,
and he held it for his own and be-
ieved that some day he would be a sill
yer king
In earnest of that belief he had built
the shack and married Dolores Ruiz,
daughter of the old Mexican who
claimed the valley by prior right. The
result was a success in way. There
were no signs of silver, but there was
Quita.
When the strike did come, fifteen
years later, both Terrier and the Mex
lean lay in the deep sleep up among
the pines on the hills, and from the
lone shack Quita and her mother look
ed down on the valley and saw the cho
sen Of the Lord of Mammon sweeI
away their Canaan and it's wealth. Blu
they were wise, being women, anC
showed no fight, anG Happy Chance al
a law abiding community reviewed
their case and admitted them to a shar,
in the profits of their own propert!
and shook hands with itself over it
generosity.
The summer after the strike LAIR.
Carroll alighted in camp, and we en-
tertained him unawares, not seein
any wings. We had heard of LAIR,
before. He was a gentlemanly DO
with a good record behind him of way
of honor. He was a miner, but he neV
er mined. He would follow the cry O
fame to a new camp and laze arOun
for few weeks until he found a clair
that suited him. He paid in cash, an
the camp would see him no more unit
one day he would come back with som
poor innocent of a capitalist he ha
corralled, and the claim would chang
hands, and Larry would ride on in tr
umph, ten thousand to the good.
1t showed a depth of intuitive wi
dom that the world respected, and HaI
DIV Chance welcomed him; also he ha
a winning way with women. He wi
gay hearted and debonair and maste
full, with eyes of Irish blue and ha
like water spaniel, chestnut curle
He never woOed with words; only Wi
his eyes. They were sufficient. You ca
not make ont case against man {
the score of tender eyes. SO larry roe
scot free over a highway of sighil
hearts until he struck Happy Chan
and Quita.
There was a dance at DOrrity's t
night he came, and he rambled in. o.
ia was dancing. and as he stood in t
doorway, watching. she whirled
him on big Sim Rawdon's arm, and t
cluster of scarlet mountain flowers S
wore in her hair fell at Larry's fe
Sim went back for them. They were
the breast pocket of LarTy's shirt, a
the two went outdoors to settle the
gument for possession, while GU
perched herself on a window sill a
smiled contentedly.
1t was the beginning Of a state
affairs which Happy Chance resent
Rawdon owned the biggest claim
camp and If we ever grew to be C
we intended making him mayor
chief of police or something intere
ing. In the dream of the future GU
had shared his hOnors in our min
She belonged to Happy Chance.
was right that she should have
best article in its marriage mark
and neither Sim nor Quita had ob1e
ed up to date. But with the coming
Larry there was a change. We {
ried Sim home from the dance wit
bullet in his shoulder, and Larry W
back and finished the waltz with Gu
The next day Sim went TO the sh'
with a bandaged shoulder and sp'
up like man, knowing that pul
sentiment was with him. When
came back he invited us all to the W
ding. and Larry tipped his chair
Their back ON the shady stOop of
Silver Star and whistled softly.
The wedding was set for the foil
ing Saturday, and Sim rode every
to the shack and came back witt
smile on his lips and a spray of sea
flowers from the vine that grew
Quita's hillside But Saturday
sunset, when he rode after his br
he came back without smile or fl
ers and told his story to the ere
n