Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-10-26
BLOTTED OUT
By CAROL MURRAY
Copyright, 1906 by r. B. Mcclure
By CAROL MURRAY

tlemen-but when old John Dyer, one
of the mine bosses, brought his daugh-
ter Kate from civilization to live with
him there and keep his humble cabin
he had faith in that chivalry that has
always made the western man respect
the other sex. He knew that she would
have many admirers and that there
would be quarrels on her account, but
he was q wldower and she motherless,
and he hoped he was doing what was
best
The cabin, like the rude and strag-
Cling village, was backed by the grim
mountain. while along It's front as far
as human eye could reach there gilt
tered the white sands Of the MoIave
desert Here and there out on that
dreary waste We're patches of ugly
cacti, and intuition told the girl as her
eyes searched the desert for the first
time that out there under the blazing
sun the rattlesnake basked and the
lizard glided swiftly over the bones Of
men and animals.
The desert was not always at peace,
its surface resembling a placid lake.
Now and then a wind, born up In the
gulches OF the mountain, came down
and went sweeping across the sands,
and then the spectator saw great
clouds of dust as the flinty particles
were caught up and driven here and
there TO cut and cash and wound
whatever lived. The sands never
swept IN from the desert but always
were driven the other way. Had II
not been so Diamond mine and the
town around it could not have been.
The coming of the girl among the
thousand men was an event. There
were a few old women there-cooks
and laundresses-but here was a girl,
a handsome young girl. Her influence
was felt almost Immediately. The
mine manager said that more soap,
combs, handkerchlefs and looking
glasses were called for from the com
pany store In a week than were bought
during the preceding three months.
At least 800 of the thousand men
determined on an Introduction at
once, but when II came to the
had passed, there We're not a dozen
callers at the cabin. \ month or two
later II was said that only two of the
dozen stood a chance BY chance"
they meant marriage. 1t never oc-
Cured to any Of them that girl might
have come among them without fall
ing In love and marrying one Of their
number.
1t was strange that among Kate's
earliest and most persistent admirers
was Pedro Diaz a full bloOded Mex
lean. He had charge Of the company's
transportation, and he managed through
the father to force an introduction. /
He was kindly received by the girl, /.
but no more He was tolerated by the /
father, but there was no welcome for |
him. Pedro was swaggerer. He was /
an egotist. He thought he was in love, |
and once having made up his mind to
this he was ready to maintain what .
he called his right by fair means or
foul
The thousand men said that Pedro's
rival was Tommy Britt, the keeper OF .
the company's store. He was an Amer /
lean, young fair looking, and down on .
the books TO be promoted for his ell
ergy. ambition and integrity. Perhaps I.
he admired, as all others did, but he .
had never asked himself If he was in .
love. He found both father and daugh- /
ter congenial company, and that would .
have been his excuse had any one
asked him why he paid two visits a
week TO the cabin.
There came a day when Pedro Diaz
made up his mind to know his fate.
He chose an hour when he knew the
girl would be alone, and he dressed
IN his best and knocked on the cabin
door. He believed himself irresist-
ible, and he smiled and smirked and
offered his love. There was a moment
OF astonishment, and he found himself
rejected. The girl tempered her re
fusal as much as possible 1t was her
first offer, but womanly instinct told
her to soften the blow even though the
man was obnoxious TO her.
What. You refuse Pedro DiaZ" ex-
claimed the man in reply. You re-
fuse meme, who am worth 5000
and could marry any senorita in my
own country! Do you quite understand
meT
Il have no love for you" replied the
girl
But that makes no difference. You
shall love me later on. l am Pedro
Diaz II is the first time | ever did
woman the honor Of asking her to
marry me-"
The girls reply was firm one, and
Pedro flung himself out OF the cabin
with anger raging In his heart. He
had been snubbed, humiliated, made
fool OF. There was a man In the case,
OF course, and it could be none other
than the storekeeper. Whoever oppos-
ed Pedro Diaz in any OF his cherished
schemes must die. He was not five
minutes deciding on the death Of Britt
That morning the young man had
ridden away across the desert. stretch
Of twenty long, hot miles, to strike the
railroad on the other side and order
further supplies by telegraph. The ride
was twenty miles over and twenty
miles back. He would cover the dis
tance in day. but 1t would be late In
the evening when he returned.
II will meet and kill him as he re-
turns" decided Pedro, and when dark
ness fell he eluded observation as much
as possible and rode out on the desert.
There was no trail across the sands.
He who would hold n straight course
must d,qend upon the compass, and he
must consult it often. There was fair
starlight light enough to see his rival
many rods away The sky was clear
OF those scudding clouds which might
be taken as warnings that the whirl-
winds We're being born in the cold air
Of the gulches, and No noise came from
the mountain except the whispers of
the pines to the cedars.
When Pedro had made five miles