The Press., 1904-07-20
Quita's
kidnapping
By IzOIa L. Forester
Copyright, 1905, bD r. C. Mcclure

Hi Copyright, 1905, bu T. C. Mcclure iii
Mariqufta Josepha Maria was hel
name, according to the baptismal rec
or(is 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 rose and dark
shadowy eyes that looked sidelong al
one and made the earth seem an excel
lent place to live in.
Before Happy Chance had opened up
as silver mining center the shack OF
old Tom Ferrier had held it's own up
| Oh the mountain side and dominated
the whole valley. No one knew when
it Lad been built. Ferrier 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
| tie wilderness that had escaped for
tune seekers and railroad surveyors,
| and he held it for his own and be-
lieved that some day he would be a sill
yer king.
In earnest of that belief lie had built
| tie shack and married Dolores Ruiz,
II <,f &l,o OH NTnx- m
claimed the valley by prior right. The
result was success in way. There
were no signs of silver. but there was
Quita.
When the strike did come fifteen
years later, both Ferrier and the Mex
lean lay in the deep sleep up among
| the pines on the hills. and from the
lone slack Cuita and her mother look
| ed down Oh the valley and saw the cho-
sen of the Lord of Mammon sweep
away their Canaan and it's wealth. But
| they were wise. being women, and
showed no fight. and Happy Chance as
law abiding g immunity reviewed
| their case AMI admitted them to share
| in tie profits of their own property
| and shook hands with itself over its
generosity.
The summer after the strike Larry
Carroll alighted in camp. and we en-,
i tertained him unawares. not seeing
II any wings. We had heard of Larry
before. He was Il ge.lt.emanly bog
with good record behind him of ways
of honor. He was miner. but lie ne--
er mined. He would follow tile cry of
fame to new camp and laZe around
for few weeks until he found claim
that suited him. He paid in cash. and
the camp would see him no more until
one day he would come back with some
poor innocent of a capitalist he had
corralled, and the claim would change
hands. and Larry would ride on in tri-
umph. ten thousand to the good.
1t showed a depth of intuitive wis
dom that the world respected, and Hap
py Chance welcomed him: also he had
n winning way with women. He was
gay hearted and debonair and master
| full, with eyes of Irish blue and hair
like water spaniel. chestnut curled.
He never wooed with words; only with
his eyes. They were sufficient. You can
not make out q case against a man on
| the score of tender eyes. So Larry rode
scot free over highway of signing
hearts until he struck Happy Chance
and Quita.
There was dance at Dorrity's the
night he cane, and he rambled in. Qui-
ia was dancing. and as he stood in the
doorway. watching, she whirled by
him on big Sim Rawdon's arm, and the
cluster of scarlet mountain flowers she
wore In her hair fell at Larry's feet.
Sim went back for them They were in
the breast pocket of Larry's shirt, and
the TWO went outdoors to settle the ar
gument for possession, while Quita
perched herself on window sill and
smiled contented1y. -f4rf-
1t was the beginning of a state Of
affairs which Happy Chance resented
Rawdon owned the biggest claim in
camp and If we ever grew to be a city
we intended making him mayor or
chief of police or something interest
Ing. In the dream of the future Quita
had sh.trcd his honors in our minds
She belonged to Happy Chance. 1t
was right that Sc Should have the
best article i'll its marriage market.
and neither Sim nor Quita had object
ed I'M to date. But with the coming of
Larry there was a change. We car
ried SIM home from the dance with a
bullet in his shoulder, and Larry went
back and finished the waltz with Quita.
The next day Sim went to the shack
with a bandlged shoulder and spoke
up like man. knowing that public
sentiment was with him. When he
came back he invited us all to the wed
ding, and Larry tipped his chair far
ther back on the shady stoop of the
Silver Star and whistled softly.
The wedding was set for the follow
ing Saturday, and Sim rode every day
to the shack and came back with a
smile on hisslips and a spray of scarlet
flowers from the vine that grew on
Quita's hillside. But Saturday at
sunset, when he rode after his bride,
he came back without smile or flow
ers and told his story to the crowd
that waited in the Silver Star. Quita
was gone. Old Dolores said she had
been carried off by the devil with the
Irish eyes to the mountains. and Sim
asked for company. t.H
We were willing to go. She was a
home product. and we didn't propose
having any stray blue eyed maverick
come out of the north and steal her
away S-r ~ - .-x -,
ZIP through the valley~.we rode that
night. forced TIE Yarba Just below
the falls and took to the broken trail
that lpd r., tho uoryut0i,s nr, Tho Cali