The San Francisco call., 1904-03-20

oh, don't 60" she said, with the i'm
p.oring urgency Of old friendship. I'm
so terribly depressed. Don't 60"
Her lips trembled, her swollen eyes
were without light CT beauty. She was
IS distinctly unlovely as a handsome
woman can be. The man, however, did
not look ct her He had opened the
c0cr Of the clock ard was studying its
i@ternal machinery. He answered
quietly:
IN have to 20 now Tor while 1
must finish my letter. It's got to 90
out tonight. but ] was going TO ask
sou II you wouldn't like TO have your
supper up here2 It's now little after
ave; at six O'Clock III bring it, and if
you don't mind, I'll bring mine up. too.
just tal1e tea and some bread ana but
ter and jam and stuff-Nhatever Elsie
haIpens 10 have round. II you'd Ike
il. you TX up the table and get things
into some sort OF shape"
Ee walked toward the door. With
The handle in his hand he said:
You don't mind my taking mine up
here. too. do you2 II you do. say so"
40. don't mind" said Garipcsa, in
the stined voice Of The weeper.
When he had gone she listlessly tried
10 create some kind Of order in the
chaotic room. She felt exhausted and
Indifferent Once she found herself
looking at her watch with sort Of
heavy desire 10 have the time pass
quickly. She dreaded her loneliness.
She caught q glimpse Of herself in the
chimney-piece glass and felt neither
shame nor disgust at her unsightly ap-
peararce.
At six O'Clock she heard the quick.
decisive step in the hall that earlier in
the afternoon had broken in on her
Wrangie with the expressman. A knock
. came on tie door that sounded exceed
ingIy Ike q kick bestowed under diff
culties. She opened II, and her new
friend entered bearing a large tray set
forth with the parapheraalia Of cold
supper and with the evening paper laid
on top. He put il on the cleared table,
and together they lifted of its con-
tents. and set them forth. There was
cold meat. jam, bread and butter. a
brown pottery teapot with the spout
broken and two beautiful cups. delicate
and richly decorated. Then they sat
down. one on each side OF the table,
and the meal began.
Mariposa did not care 10 eat Sitting
under the blaze Of the silt chandelier.
with the freight gliding one side Of her
flushed and disfgured face, she poured
out the tea, while her companion att
tackled the cold meat with good appe-
tite. The broken spout leaked. and she
found herself guiltily regarding the
man opposite as she surreptitiousIy
tried 10 SOD I'D with a napkin the
. streams Of tea il sent over the table
cloth.
He appeared TO have the capacity for
seeing anything that occurred in his
vicinity.
Never mind the teapot" he said.
with his mouth full: 1T always does
that Its no good getting a new one.
7 think the boys break them. Elsie
says they play boats with them in the
1a-htub"
N2ripOsa made no reply, and the
meal progressed in silence. Presently
her vis-a-vis held out his cup for a sec
u-nd filing
What beautiful cups" she said. 1t
would be z pity To break them"
They're grsndma's. They're the on
IS two left Grandma had some stun
ming things. brought round the Horn
by her husband in the early days. be-
fore the Gringo came. He was great
man in his day, Don Manuel Garcia
Is she your grandmother, tOO?"
Tariposa asked. II seemed natural TO
put pointblank questions 10 this man,
Who so completely swept aside the
smaller conventions.
Mine? Oh, Lord, no. Ny poor old
granny died crossing the plains in '4s.
] was there. but 1 don't remember it.
7 call old lady Garcia grandma. be-
cause Pm here so much. and because
I look upon them as my family"
Do you live here always?" asked
Mariposa, looking with extinguished
eyes over the piece Of bread she was
nibbling.
no. live al the mines. I'm a miner.
Ny stsmping-grOund's the whole Sier-
IA from SiskiyoU to TuOlumne"
He looked at her with a queer whim-
seal smile. His strong white teeth
cleaned for a moment from between
his bearded lips
I'm I'D at the Sierra a lot OF the
time" he continued, and then I'm
down here a lot OF the time. I come
here 10 find my victims. I locate a
good prospect in the Sierra, and come
down here 70 sell it. That's my busi-
ness"
What's your name7~ asked Mari
pOss suddenly. hearing herself ask this
last and most pertinent question with
the dry glibness Of an interviewer
MY name? Great Scott, you don't
know IT." he threw back his head and
& Jolly. eonorous laugh filed the room.
That's great, you and I sitting here
together over supper as II we'd grown
up together in the same nursery, and
you don't know what my name is. It's
Gamaliel Barron. Do you like ftp"
YES" said MaripOsa- gravely, its a
very nice name"
I'm glad you think so. I can't say
I'm much attached to the front end Of
Il. It's q Bible name. / haven't the
least idea who the gentleman was, or
what he did. but he's IN the Bible
somewhere"
saul sat at his feet" said Marposa;
he was & great teacher"