The San Francisco call., 1904-11-27

by Jese Cri'-he go to "a cow
Jose was all excitement now.
you Pedro, da son-of-a-gun he getta
our cow-our steak-our grub, if 1 am
a Iiari" Jose had already made a reach
for his hat and started for the door, all
protest against unlawful usurpatiOn.
But a thought struck in on him. This
man did not live anywhere around
here; he couldn't carry away the whole
Of the carcass for any distance, so he
must only want piece. He evidently
wanted it badly and would therefore
fight for it. 1t plainly would be best
to wait and watch.
So Jose waited and witnessed a sight
the like Of which he had never before
seen. He saw the distant form gradu-
ally grow into a giant as it approached.
This giant attacked the gored steer
with an ak. hewing it as he/would
tree. Finally he lifted the massive
headquarters to his shoulders and
staggered down the fresh trail into the
shadow Of the canyon. In an hour the
giant reappeared, seized the remainder
of the dead steer and dragged it down
again among the black pines at the
bottom of the slope.
Jose's cupidity steeled his courage.
Taking down from its peg pair Of
long, stout, oaken skees, he armed him
self with dirk and left the hut What
had been labor to that strange forest
giant was child's play to Jose-skim-
ming over the drift on his polished
skees with little effort. Hitting upon
the jagged, blood-spotted trail which
had marked the giants passage, he fol-
lowed it down the slope into the trees
Rounding a mound of rocks Jose
saw the trails end-it was at the
cabin Of old Greasy Baker, the crazy
miner, who was wintering down at
Grass Valley. Smoke was seeping
through the chimney and the snow
about the door was trampled. This
evidently was the home which the
stranger had appropriated.
Jose's heart beats were OF no great
regularity as he shuffied quietly
smile of welcome on his face.
He leaned over the edge OF
the drift and looked in. He saw a
great figure squatting before the fire
with its massive back turned to the
door. Jose coughed.
With a scream like trapped pan
ther the great man leaped to his feet
and whirled about. His face was livid
behind the shock Of whiskers; his eyes
glowed green. Believing something
in a strange tongue the giant. sud-
denly made beast, seized the ak by
his side and sprung behind the rough
table in readiness for defense.
Jose looked just once and then was
gone like hunted rabbit.
That afternoon Jose waited impa-
tiently by the watering tank until the
heavy freight from the West thun-
dered in and came to standstill be-
meath the swinging pipe. Jose by the
side of the great driving wheels waved
excitedly at the engineer and bawled
above the hiss of the steam valve:
"Come-a da long down an kill for
me da hairy man. He drop in from
da cloud-he taxa da way da cow
I go for get him-he shaka da ak at
me an yell like hell"
Jose's excited gestures and high
pitched appeal for vengeance at
lracted a group of trainmen, who
listened to his hysterical account of
the encounter with the unknown
giant.
big as a house, hair all over, pig
eyes-eh JOSEF" big brakeman
with a plaster over one eye broke In.
'Sure-da vera same: he look Iika
da greedy bear-teeth an eyes like
him."
Jose's questioner gave his head a
knowing shake as Of one who could
attest to the qualities Of the greedy
bear" In question.
But coma da long and kill him."
urged the terrified Jose. Maybe he
come to my house when I sleep and
choka da eyes out me-" A warning
double blast of the whistle cut short
Jose's appeal. The train crew re-
turned to their places and the great
creaking line of cars moved away into
the gloom, leaving Jose alone with his
haunting fear.
The days wore on. Under the dead
gray vault of the jumbled clouds Jose
and the vagabond lived-two life specks
in the dull cleaning world of silence
which encompassed them. In the face
Of the infinite terror of solitude which
pressed upon their souls a compelling
fear Of one another separated them by
a gulf unbounded. AS each gray morn
ing dawned Jose peeped timorously out
of his frosted window to see If the va
grant wisp of smoke still arose from
the bottom of the canyon. Long hours
the vagabond spent in ceaseless vigil
upon the hutch under the caves Of the
snoWsheds from the snowy branch Of
a tree near his cabin
Once again did the two catch sight
of one another. In making his morn
ing tour of inspection Jose started to
cross a trestle which bridged the chasm
of a frozen torrent. His foot dislodged
some snow, and without thought Jose
paused to watch it fall into the depths
below AS he looked between the ties
he saw far below him the giant hud-
died over a black hole in the ice with
a fish line hanging taut from his great
red fist At the shower of snow crys-
tails the bearded face was turned up