The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-04-03
CHAPTER XIV.
HAVE YOU COME AT LAsT7
Yesterday this days madness did prepare.
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Yesterday this days madness did prepare
Omar Khsyyam
At 10 o'clock Barron returned to the
Garcia house. His search for Mariposa
in such accustomed haunts as the Mer-
camille Library. the shops on kearny
street. and Mrs. Willers'. had been fruit
less. Mrs. Wi.lers was again AT the
Trumpet office, where another and more
important portion of the womans page
was going to press. but Edna was al
home and told Barron that neither she
nor her mother had seen Mariposa since
the lesson of the day before.
In returning to the house he had hopes
of finding her there. From the first his
anxiety had been keen. Now, as he put
his key ia the lock. it clutched his heart
with suffocating force The house was
silent as he entered. and then the sound
of his step in the hall called the head of
young Mrs. Garcia 10 the opened door of
the kitchen. fhs first glimpse of her
face told him Mariposa had not returned
Have you got herr" cried the young
woman eagerly
mo he ans wered. his voice sounding
colorless and fiat. Il thought she might
be back here.
Mrs. Garcia shook her head and with
drew it, He followed her into the kitch-
en- where she and the sonora were sit
ting by the stove. A large fire was burn
ing the room was warm and bright--the
trim. 5nically neat kitchen of a clean
Chinaman. To the Senora's quick phrase
of inquiry the younger woman answered
with a sentence in Spanish. For a mo-
ment the silence of sick anxiety held the
trio.
Did you go to Mrs. Willers'?' said
young Mrs. Garcia, trying to speak with
some 1ightness of tone
Yes: she's not been there since yester-
day I've been everywhere | could think
of where it was likely she would be-
couldn't find a trace of her.
Then she's gone to Europe. or is go
ing tomorrow, as she told Pierpont She
q Looked after Ot1'd
gone. and it wasn't there.
It'll be too late to find out tonight If
she's gone The ticket Offices are closed.
/ can't think she's done that-without a
word to any one. It's not like her"
The seiera here asked what they said.
Barron. who spoke Spanish indifferently.
signaled to the young woman to answer
for him. She did so. the sonora listening
intently. At the end of her daughter-in-
laws speech she shook her head
mo. she has not gone, she said slow
~ in Spanish. She could not take that
journey. She was not able-she was
sick. and out on such night with all
that money! moaned her daughter-in-
law.
Barron got up with a smothered ejacu-
lation He knew more than either of the
women. The attempt at robbery the night
before had failed. Tonight the girl her
self had disappeared What might 1t all
mean? He was afraid to think
I'm going out again., he said. I'll
be in probably in four or five hours to
see if by any chance she's come back
You have everything ready-hres and
warm clothes and things to eat in case l
bring her with me- The rains worse than
ever. Ching says she had no umbrellas"
without more conversation he left. the
two women bestirring themselves to
make ready the supper he had ordered.
At three O'Clock he returned again to find
stove Mrs. Garcia, the younger, being
asleep on the sofa in the boys room. The